"CM Banerjee helped BJP to thrive in West Bengal": Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury

Bhabanipur (West Bengal) [India], April 26 : Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Congress candidate from Baharampur Assembly constituency, on Sunday alleged that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has helped the "BJP to thrive" in West Bengal.

"CM Mamata Banerjee helped the BJP to thrive in West Bengal...They are both mutually beneficial for each other...BJP and TMC want to stay with each other. They don't want any other political party to enter the state. They both do the politics of polarisation...and do Mura Kusti (Mud wrestling) only," he said while speaking to reporters.

Earlier today, a brutal assault on a local family from the Baharampur Assembly constituency was reported.

Reacting to this incident, Chowdhury alleged that miscreants linked to the Trinamool Congress (TMC) vandalised a home and assaulted its residents, including women and an elderly man, in a targeted act of retribution.

The incident occurred just days after the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections, where Murshidabad saw a record-breaking 92% voter turnout amidst sporadic clashes.

According to Chowdhury, the violence was triggered by a simple act of hospitality. During the polling on April 23, the Congress candidate had sought a few minutes of rest at a local temple verandah to observe the slow pace of voting.

The family associated with the temple provided him with a fan to cope with the heat, a gesture that allegedly drew the ire of the ruling party.

"... I received a call, and a woman was crying... She said some TMC goons had vandalised her house and attacked an elderly man, leaving him covered in blood. She said that they also attacked her older sister, assaulted her and violated her modesty... There was another woman in the house, the mother of the girl. She was also beaten...," said Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.

Chowdhury immediately visited the site near Booth No. 1, confirming that the victims had been rushed to the hospital with serious injuries. He clarified that he had no prior political connection to the family, stating he didn't even know if they had voted for him.

The West Bengal Assembly elections remain on a knife-edge, with the second and final phase of polling scheduled for April 29. As the "Kolkata belt" prepares to vote, this latest incident in Murshidabad underscores the volatile security situation that has characterised the 2026 democratic exercise.

The polling for the second phase will be held on April 29, with counting of votes scheduled for May 4.

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