Subhankar Sarkar replaces Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury as Bengal Congress chief

Mr. Chowdhury, who led the Congress in the 17th Lok Sabha, has been in a confrontational mode with the Mamata Banerjee-led government

The Congress on Saturday (September 21, 2024) appointed Subhankar Sarkar as the president of West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC), replacing veteran Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.

“The party appreciates the contributions of the outgoing PCC President, Shri Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury,”a statement from general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal read.

Mr. Chowdhury, who led the Congress in the 17th Lok Sabha, has been in a confrontational mode with the Mamata Banerjee-led government despite her Trinamool Congress being a member of the INDIA bloc in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Though there had been speculations of him being replaced as the Bengal Congress chief for some time now, Mr. Chowdhury was actively leading the party’s protests over the rape and murder of a young doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College Hospital in Kolkata on August 9.

A seven-term MP, Mr. Chowdhury lost the 2024 Lok Sabha polls from Baharampur constituency to Trinamool’s cricketer-turned-politician Yusuf Pathan.

The Congress also announced M.K. Bharadwaj and Bhanu Mahajan as the acting working presidents for Jammu and Kashmir, where Assembly elections are being held in three phases on September 18, 25 and October 1.

Published - September 22, 2024 12:09 am IST