In Baharampur bastion, Adhir Chowdhury holds steady against Yusuf Pathan as TMC dials up heat

Wearing an off-white hat, the 68-year-old Congress veteran in white shirt and white trousers, stands erect, riding pillion on a motorcycle as it navigates the narrow lanes of Hijol village in Kandi area of Murshidabad district. The posters on the walls along the way say: “Praner manush, kajer manush, kachher manush (A man after my own heart, a man of work, someone close)”.

For Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who has been winning the Baharampur Lok Sabha constituency in Murshidabad in West Bengal for consecutive five times since 1999, it is a prestige fight this time.

The Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) has fielded Yusuf Pathan, the Gujarat-born ex-Indian cricketer, in Baharampur as it goes all out to wrest the Muslim-dominated seat from Mamata’s outspoken critic Chowdhury, who is also the state Congress president as well as the Congress’s leader in the outgoing Lok Sabha.

Also in the fray is the BJP’s Dr Nirmal Kumar Saha, a well-known local surgeon.

Chowdhury has his task cut out. The fight is important not only for him but for his party’s seat-sharing alliance with the CPI(M)-led Left in Bengal.

On May 8, Chowdhury’s campaign started at 9 am from Dadpur in Reginagar. His convoy was led by minivans with loudspeakers blaring music interspersed with announcements, and an open jeep, followed by a train of motorbikes.

Chowdhury greeted people and showered toffees on children whenever he was stopped by villagers. His morning campaign ended at 11 am. As his convoy entered Baharampur town, he got down near Kalpana cinema hall to walk the rest of the way, greeting people, many by their first names.

After an hour, he was at his party office. Meetings with partymen as well as a press conference followed.

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