In Malda, Big Battle Looms As Congress Leader's Relatives Go Toe To Toe

Sujapur, West Bengal: When Bengal votes for the third time on Sunday, one of the seats to grab eyeballs is Sujapur in Malda, where something very unexpected is happening. For the first time, the staunch Congress family of Ghani Khan Chowdhury is fielding a candidate for another party.

The fight is between uncle and nephew -- both educated abroad and both claiming to be the torchbearers of the legacy of the veteran leader.

Eighty-year old Abu Nasser Khan Choudhury -- better known locally as Lebuda - had won Sujapur for Congress last time, but switched midway to Trinamool. Now he is the Trinamool candidate.

The family and the Congress are not taking this lying down. Lebuda's nephew -- 39-year old Isha Khan Choudhury -- has been deployed against his uncle.





But denying the uncle-nephew battle definition, Abu Nasser Khan Choudhury told NDTV it is a battle between two parties, "not individuals".

Isha Khan Choudhury agrees. "Over the last 5 years, the Trinamool has done nothing in terms of development. The people have a lot of affection for the Congress," he said.

Both uncle and nephew are playing he outsider card.

Referring to his nephew, Abu Nasser Khan Choudhury says, "He was born and educated abroad. He came here without knowing a word of Bengali."

"My uncle is also educated abroad and lived there almost his entire life. That is not a disqualification for me or for him," Isha Khan responds.

Lebuda is confident of victory. He says he can convince people that he is also a part of Ghani Khan's legacy in spite of not contesting on a Congress ticket. "You must understand what the stronghold was. It was not the party... (it was) one man and his name was Ghani Khan Choudhury," he told NDTV.

The family, though, is upset over the split in the legacy. Mausam Noor, Congress parliamentarian from Malda North and Gani Khan's niece, told NDTV, "As a family member I am not very happy about it. This (Malda) is the home of Ghani Khan Choudhury."