Adhir Chowdhury Waiting For Expulsion, May Join BJP: Trinamool Congress

The Trinamool Congress,  while maintaining it has nothing to say on what is primarily an internal matter of the Congress, hinted that former West Bengal Congress chief Adhir Chowdhury may head to the BJP. Trinamool leader Kunal Ghosh said, "It seems like Adhir Chowdhury is waiting for expulsion and will join BJP in the future." 

Trinamool Congress Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya added, "What can we say? Kunal Ghosh has already said what is to say. He is not from our party. Neither do we want him to come here. May be he is having a word with other parties and it might be that he is waiting for an expulsion. I don't know. He has himself said that he was flabbergasted to hear that he has been addressed as a former president." 

Reacting to him being dropped, Adhir Chowdhury said, "The day Mallikarjun Kharge became the party president, all other posts of the party in the country became temporary, according to the Constitution of the party. Even my post became temporary... While the election was underway, Mallikarjun Kharge said on television that if necessary I would be kept out, which made me upset. The election results were also not good for the party in West Bengal. Even though I was the temporary party president, it was my responsibility. After which I told Kharge ji that if possible, you can replace me with someone else..."

"In between I was informed by AICC to call a meeting of Congress leaders of West Bengal as the party wanted to pass two resolutions... I was aware that the meeting had been called under my presidency and I was still the West Bengal Congress president but during the meeting, Ghulam Ali Mir while addressing said that the former president is also here. At that time, I got to know I had become former president (of West Bengal Congress)," Mr Chowdhury added.

The Trinamool Congress has welcomed the development. "He (Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury) should been ousted earlier. Didi (Mamata Banerjee) had offered to meet with Congress ahead of the elections over seat-sharing. But it did not materialise due to Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. His language has not been dignified against Trinamool Congress," TMC Member of Parliament Kirti Azad said. 

Adhir Chowdhury had submitted his resignation to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge after Lok Sabha election results. The Congress party was reduced to just one Lok Sabha seat in Bengal and Adhir Chowdhury lost his own seat Baharampur this time. 

Both national political parties, the Congress and the BJP, are likely to appoint new chiefs for state units in West Bengal soon. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury who was the Leader of the Congress Party in the Lok Sabha earlier and West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee President has been dropped while West Bengal BJP President has been inducted into the union council of ministers in the third term of the Modi government. 

The BJP is likely to appoint a new state unit chief after the induction of Dr Sukanta Majumdar in the union cabinet. Sources say BJP has not reached a decision on Dr Sukanta Majumdar's replacement yet. One of the speculated names in Dilip Ghosh, former Bengal BJP President who was replaced after the 2021 Assembly Elections.