After the sustained battle between Congress State president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and top leadership of the Trinamool Congress, the party stunned everyone by placing all bets on cricketer Yusuf Pathan to defeat Mr. Chowdhury in the Baharampur Lok Sabha constituency, which he has won five straight times since 1999.
The Trinamool has never won the seat, which in the last seven decades has been dominated by either the Congress or the Revolutionary Socialist Party. The only solace that the Trinamool can hold onto is that Mr. Chowdhury’s vote share has been on a downward trend, dipping over 11 per cent since the 2009 general elections. But at the same time, the Trinamool has become a serious contender only in the last two general elections – 2014 and 2019 – when their candidates became the runner-ups.
With Mr. Pathan in the race, the Trinamool believes it has a double advantage. One, the cricketer’s star quality will bring in the crowds and second, as an “outsider”, he is better placed to rally the multiple groups of “Chowdhury baiters”.
