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Bengal assembly polls: Congress hopes to regain lost ground in four districts
The article traces the Congress’s waning influence in West Bengal since 2016, outlines historical electoral performance in Murshidabad, Malda, Uttar Dinajpur and Purulia, and details the party’s renewed focus on four districts for the 2026 assembly elections, including leadership changes and recent bypoll outcomes.
Why It Matters
It highlights the strategic shift of the Congress as it seeks to rebuild in key Muslim‑majority districts ahead of the 2026 Bengal assembly polls and the evolving political dynamics in Malda and surrounding districts.
Timeline
14 Events
April 21, 2026: Interview and plan to contest all 294 seats
April 21, 2026
In a recent interview, Chowdhury described his 1996 fugitive period and campaigning via cassettes recorded in a Kolkata studio. The article notes that Congress plans to contest all 294 seats alone in the 2026 Bengal assembly elections.
January 2026: Mausam Noor returns to Congress
January 2026
Mausam Noor returned to the Congress in January 2026 and resigned from Parliament.
2024: Malda Uttar retained by Murmu; Chowdhury wins Malda Dakshin
2024
In 2024, BJP’s Khagen Murmu retained the Malda Uttar Lok Sabha seat, while Chowdhury bagged the Malda Dakshin seat, defeating Sreerupa Mita Chaudhury by 1,28,368 votes.
2024: TMC wins Baharampur Lok Sabha seat; Chowdhury leads in Baharampur assembly
2024
The TMC won the Baharampur Lok Sabha seat in 2024. In the same year, Chowdhury had a lead of around 7,000 votes over the nearest BJP candidate in the Baharampur assembly seat.
May 2023: Bayron Biswas joins TMC
May 2023
Bayron Biswas, the lone Congress legislator, joined the TMC two months after his Sagardighi bypoll victory.
March 2023: Sagardighi bypoll result
March 2023
Sagardighi bypoll was held in March 2023; Bayron Biswas won the seat, becoming the lone Congress legislator at that time.
2021: Congress forms alliance with Left Front and Indian Secular Front; vote share declines
2021
In 2021, the Congress formed an alliance with the Left Front and the Indian Secular Front. The party’s vote share fell further to 1.6%, and it won only Sagardighi in a bypoll in March 2023.
2019 Lok Sabha elections: Malda Uttar results and intra-family contest
2019
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Mausam Noor contested Malda Uttar against her cousin Isha Khan Chowdhury; Noor received 31.4% of votes, Chowdhury 22.5%, while BJP’s Khagen Murmu won the seat with 37.6%.
2016: Congress vote share and seats decline
2016
In 2016, the Congress’ vote share dropped to 12.4%, with its seat count nearly halving to 42.
2014 Malda North: Noor wins again for Congress
2014
Mausam Noor won the Malda North Lok Sabha seat again in 2014.
2009 Malda North: Mausam Noor wins for Congress
2009
Mausam Noor won the Malda North Lok Sabha seat for the Congress in 2009.
2009 delimitation creates Malda South and Malda North
2009
The Malda South and Malda North Lok Sabha seats were formed during the 2009 delimitation by splitting the old Malda seat that Gani Khan Chowdhury had won eight times between 1980 and 2004.
1999 Baharampur Lok Sabha seat: Chowdhury begins a sequence of victories
1999
Chowdhury went on to win the Baharampur Lok Sabha seat in Murshidabad five times in a row, starting in 1999.
1996 Nabagram assembly election: Chowdhury defeats CPIM rival as Left Front dominates
1996
In the 1996 West Bengal assembly election, Chowdhury was a suspect in a murder case but defeated CPIM’s Muzaffar Hossain from Nabagram by 20,329 votes. The Left Front won 204 seats and 50% of the vote share, while the Congress alliance won 85 seats and 40% of the vote share.