Yusuf Pathan To Lock Horns With 5-Time Cong MP Adhir Ranjan In Baharampur? TMC List Sparks Buzz

TMC announced cricketer Yusuf Pathan's candidacy for Baharampur sparking buzz about a likely showdown with five-time Lok Sabha MP and Bengal Congress President Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.

Yusuf Pathan during TMC's 'Janagarjan Sabha' rally at Brigade Parade Ground, in Kolkata, Sunday, March 10, 2024. | File photo of West Bengal Congress President Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury ( Image Source :PTI )

Former cricketer Yusuf Pathan's candidacy for Baharampur, a Congress stronghold, has set the stage for a likely showdown with five-time Lok Sabha MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. Trinamool Congress (TMC) has announced its candidates for all 42 seats in Bengal, officially confirming that there will be no alliance with non-BJP parties in the state. While the Congress and TMC are part of the I.N.D.I.A. alliance, the absence of a seat-sharing agreement in Bengal has led to friction between the two parties. 

Yusuf Pathan, the former cricketer, finds himself contesting from Baharampur a seat that has voted for Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury as its Lok Sabha representative since 1999. Notably, the BJP in its first list fielded Nirmal Kumar Saha in this constituency.

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury Represeting Baharampur Lok Sabha Seat Since 1999

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the West Bengal Congress unit President, has represented Baharampur five times as an MP since he was first elected from the seat in 1999. A vocal critic of CM Mamata Banerjee, Chowdhury won with a margin of 80,000 votes in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections becoming one of the two Lok Sabha MPs elected from Bengal which saw the BJP gain its footprint.

Chowdhury has also been the Congress party Leader in the Lok Sabha and served in several important posts such as Minister of State for Railways in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh-led government.

The TMC had recently blamed Adhir Ranjan for the failure of alliance talks with Congress, remarking that the negotiations could not proceed amid continued attacks on CM Mamata Banerjee and her government. 

Ex-Cricketer Yusuf Pathan's Political Foray

Yusuf Pathan, known for his explosive batting and all-round skills, retired from cricket in 2021 after an illustrious career. His entry into politics marks a significant shift, particularly contesting from a constituency like Baharampur. Pathan's selection reflects TMC's strategic approach and the party's bid to broaden its appeal in a move that can be seen as the party fiercely challenging its own alliance partner.

Pathan took to X and expressed gratitude to the TMC supremo for giving him the party ticket, "I'm eternally grateful to Smt. @MamataOfficial for welcoming me into the TMC family and trusting me with the responsibility to become people's voice in the Parliament. As representatives of the people, it is our duty to uplift the poor and deprived, and that is what I hope to achieve."

I'm eternally grateful to Smt. @MamataOfficial for welcoming me into the TMC family and trusting me with the responsibility to become people's voice in the Parliament.

As representatives of the people, it is our duty to uplift the poor and deprived, and that is what I hope to… pic.twitter.com/rFM5aYyrDg

— Yusuf Pathan (@iamyusufpathan) March 10, 2024

Adhir Chowdhury Accuses TMC Supremo Mamata Banerjee Of 'Helping' BJP

The Congress has expressed disappointment over TMC's unilateral decisions and alleged political motives behind Pathan's candidacy.

Adhir Chowdhury accused Mamata Banerjee of polarising voters and facilitating BJP's interests. 

"If TMC wanted to honour Yusuf Pathan, they should've sent him to the Rajya Sabha instead of sending 'outsiders'... If Mamata Banerjee had good intentions for Yusuf Pathan, she would have asked alliance (INDIA alliance) for a seat for him (Yusuf Pathan) in Gujarat. But here in West Bengal, he is selected as a candidate to polarise the common man and to help the BJP, so that Congress can be defeated... Mamata Banerjee has proven today that none of the political parties of India should trust a leader like her... Mamata Banerjee is in fear that if she continues to be in the INDIA alliance, PM Modi will be unhappy. By separating herself from the INDIA alliance, she has sent a message to the PMO, don't be unhappy with me, I am not standing to fight against the BJP," he remarked, as per news agency ANI.

#WATCH | Murshidabad, West Bengal: Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Chowdhury says, "If TMC wanted to honour Yusuf Pathan, they should've sent him to the Rajya Sabha instead of sending 'outsiders'... If Mamata Banerjee had good intentions for Yusuf Pathan, she would have… pic.twitter.com/hbV3D42aTo

— ANI (@ANI) March 10, 2024

The Congress has maintained its stance on a "respectable" seat-sharing agreement in West Bengal.

#WATCH | On TMC announcing its candidates on all 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh says, "The Indian National Congress has always maintained that it wants a respectable seat-sharing formula with the TMC in West Bengal. It means mutual negotiations, give… pic.twitter.com/013XuFQEl1

— ANI (@ANI) March 10, 2024

"The Indian National Congress has always maintained that such an agreement has to be finalised through negotiations and not by unilateral announcements. The Indian National Congress has always wanted the INDIA group to fight the BJP together," senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh told ANI.