Shubhankar Sarkar, New ‘Moderate’ Bengal Congress Chief, Aims to Improve Ties with Trinamool

Kolkata: In a significant shift in Bengal’s political landscape, Congress has replaced Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury with Shubhankar Sarkar as the new president of the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee. The announcement was made on Saturday night, signaling a major change in the state’s political dynamics.

Since Mallikarjun Kharge became Congress president, changes in state committees were anticipated. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who lost the last Lok Sabha election from Murshidabad, had already hinted that he was serving as a “temporary president.” After his defeat, speculations about his replacement began, and ultimately, Congress leadership in Delhi decided to relieve Adhir and appoint Shubhankar Sarkar in his place.

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has been a vocal critic of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), blaming the party’s strategy for his election defeat. He had informed Sonia Gandhi that TMC had escalated communal polarization politics in Murshidabad, which, according to him, was the primary reason for his loss.

Political analyst Moidul Islam said on Sunday that Congress leadership appointed Shubhankar Sarkar to soften relations with TMC. Shubhankar’s image is not one of staunch opposition to TMC but rather that of a moderate within the party. Several Congress leaders also believe that the relationship between Congress and Trinamool in Bengal may improve under his leadership.