West Bengal News: With Adhir Ranjan out as state chief, Congress may reconsider ties with Mamata Banerjee’s TMC

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury resigned as president of the Congress party's West Bengal unit after the Lok Sabha polls. The process of appointing a new chief of the state unit is on.

With the former Member of Parliament out, the Congress party has started considering rebuilding its organisation in the state ahead of the West Bengal assembly polls scheduled for 2026.

The Congress leadership is understood to be taking feedback from leaders on maintaining the balance in ties with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress at the national and state levels, news agency PTI said in a report.

The Congress state leadership, especially Chowdhury, has been at variance with the coordination and support witnessed between the Congress and the TMC at the Centre.

On July 27, for example, while the Congress expressed solidarity with Mamata Banerjee after she alleged she was not allowed to speak during the NITI Aayog meeting in New Delhi, Chowdhury wrote to President Droupadi Murmu, on the same day, alleging that West Bengal is in an ‘anarchic condition’ and sought her intervention to ‘restore law and order’ in the state.

Though part of the opposition INDIA bloc, the TMC contested Lok Sabha elections 2024 alone in West Bengal. The TMC won 29 of the 42 seats, the Bharatiya Janata Party (TMC) the remaining 18, and the Congress only one seat.

TMC candidate Yusuf Pathan defeated Chowdhury from Berharampur seat. Chowdhury has been a five-time MP from the Berharampur seat.

The TMC swept the West Bengal assembly elections, winning 215 of the 294 seats. The BJP won 77 seats, while the Congress could not win any.

On July 29, Congress General Secretary, Organisation, KC Venugopal, met with senior West Bengal party leaders, including Chowdhury, and discussed several issues, including ties with the ruling TMC in the state.

"Discussions took place with senior leaders. Since he (Chowdhury) was sitting in that briefing, I informed everyone that 'you should know that Adhir Ranjan ji had tendered his resignation after the elections, and you should place your views on the strategy of the party going forward towards the 2026 assembly polls'," Congress West Bengal in-charge Ghulam Ahmad Mir told reporters on July 30.

The leaders have left it to the party's high command to decide on Chowdhury's replacement. "We have met some leaders who have expressed their opinion on the available leadership who can run the party better. The process is on to elect a new PCC chief. It will be done as soon as possible," he said.

(With PTI inputs)