CPM next-gen: Who is Pratikur Rahaman, tasked with taking on Abhishek Banerjee?

With the Indian Secular Front (ISF) deciding to go it alone in the Lok Sabha polls, the CPI(M) that was struggling to arrive at a consensus on the high-profile Diamond Harbour constituency has picked one of its promising youth leaders to take on Trinamool Congress (TMC) number two and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee, the incumbent MP.

Pratikur Rahaman, the CPI(M)’s pick, is a local. At present, the 33-year-old is a member of the CPI(M) state committee and is the national vice-president of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), the party’s student wing. Rahaman, who studied at the Fakir Chand College in Diamond Harbour, lives on the outskirts of Diamond Harbour with his parents, brothers, wife and daughter. His family, according to party insiders, runs a construction material supply business.

“I am not fighting against any individual. My fight is against the policies of the TMC and BJP,” Rahaman told The Indian Express after his candidature was announced.

The CPI(M) initially adopted a wait-and-watch approach for Diamond Harbour as it expected ISF leader Naushad Siddiqui to enter the fray. It had also assured him of full support but with the ISF snapping ties, the Left-Congress combine was forced to look within its ranks for a candidate to take on Banerjee. The ISF has so far declared candidates for 14 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state, fielding Majnu Laskar from the constituency.

“It would have been better if Naushad contested from here as the people were expecting him. But there is no problem as people are now saying, you fight, we will support you.” Rahaman said.

The Left Front, Congress, and ISF, which contested the 2021 Assembly polls together, failed to resolve their differences. The Left