Constituency Watch: Will Yusuf Pathan Hit a Six at Adhir Ranjan’s Home Pitch in Baharampur?

A key contest is on the anvil in the Baharampur Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district, where five-time sitting Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Choudhury is facing hurdles and advantages in retaining his seat. The surprise candidate fielded by Trinamool Congress is former India cricketer Yusuf Pathan.

The main aim of the Trinamool leadership in Baharampur is believed to be defeating Choudhury rather than ensuring the victory of the party candidate. Choudhury has claimed that the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee imported a celebrity candidate from Gujarat to divide the minority votes, which have always been in Congress’ favor.

Yusuf Pathan’s nomination has evoked infighting in the Trinamool leadership in Murshidabad, with many leaders threatening to abstain from campaigning. Trinamool MLA Humayun Kabir had initially expressed discontent with Pathan’s nomination but later agreed to campaign for him after top party leadership intervention.

The Left Front, especially the CPI(M), is supporting Choudhury in Baharampur, giving him an advantage. The BJP’s candidate, Nirmal Kumar Saha, a popular medical practitioner with a background in the RSS, admits the challenge will be tough against Choudhury, who has had unquestionable popularity among the voters in Baharampur since 1999.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Choudhury won by a margin of 80,000 votes. Shah, the BJP candidate, acknowledges the tough contest against Choudhury but vows to reach out to voters with the message of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s development works.