North Dinajpur: Congress unit in Chopra names poll candidate without Delhi nod
Telegraph | 25 March 2026
The Chopra block Congress committee in North Dinajpur independently announced its candidate for the Assembly elections, citing the “unnecessary delay” by the party high command in releasing the official list of nominees.
On Monday, Congress leaders of the block nominated Jakir Abedin as the candidate for the Chopra Assembly seat. Abedin kicked off his campaign with party workers.
This makes Chopra the only constituency in Bengal where a Congress candidate has begun campaigning before the party has released the candidates’ list.
“We had already sent Jakir Abedin’s name as the candidate, and eventually, his name would be formally announced. But the delay from the high command in publishing the list is demoralising workers, especially as almost all other parties have already started campaigning. That is why we made the decision and he is in the campaign,” said Mohammad Mosiruddin, the block Congress president.
The decision has been communicated to the district leadership, he said, and claimed that their move has already put pressure on Hamidul Rahaman, the sitting MLA and the Trinamool Congress candidate.
Abedin, who served as panchayat pradhan and the deputy of a panchayat samiti, had defected to Trinamool under the influence of Rahaman. Recently, he switched back to Congress.
“I am originally a member of the Congress family and have returned home. The current MLA is running a syndicate system across the block. There is no rule of law. Our fight is to restore governance,” he said.
A Trinamool leader said:“It is a sign of disarray within the Congress ranks. We doubt whether the party will win any seat.”
Mohit Sengupta, the Congress president of North Dinajpur, said: “There is indeed a delay from the high command, which is affecting our campaign. However, announcing a candidate independently is against the party’s discipline. It was an undesirable move by the block leaders.”