Kolkata, Sep 10 (UNI) Congress Parliamentary Party leader in Lok Sabha
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury is expected to formally assume the charge of State
party president, a night after the AICC appointed him for the second time to lead the
organisation ahead of the crucial 2011 Assembly poll in West Bengal.
"I want to thank my party for keeping faith in me at this crucial juncture. My aim would be to strengthen the organisation and put up a strong fight against both the communal BJP and the undemocratic TMC," former railway minister Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said on being appointed of
the West Bengal Congress president.
The post went vacant after the death of Somen Mitra, who held the post for the past two years after Mr Chowdhury was removed from this top post in West Bengal.
Mr Mitra expired last month.
Sixty-four-year-old Congress veteran, also known as Robin Hood at his
home Baharampur Lok Sabha constituency in Murshidabad, has been romping home
in Parliamentary polls since 1999.
He is a strong critic to TMC supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
He is also one of the strong campaigners in West Bengal to have favoured for a political understanding and alliance with the CPI(M)-led Left Front to counter both ruling party and emerging BJP in the state.
Mr Chowdhury, who was supposed to fly to New Delhi, postponed his
visit and stayed in the city to assume the formal charge of the party
at Bidhan Bhavan this noon.
There had been a race for the top post in the party among some
veterans, but Congress Legislative
party leader Abdul Mannan in a letter to AICC chief Sonia Gandhi
recommended for Mr Chowdhury to head the party.
Political observers believe that the current understanding between the
Congress and CPI(M) would get a further boost with the
appointment of Mr Chowdhury as party president in West Bengal.
UNI PC-SJC AND