Friday, April 7 2006 11:23 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kolkata: Ahead of the assembly elections, Opposition Congress in West Bengal is facing rebellion in its bastion Murshidabad district, where a party strongman is threatening to campaign for independents upset over the high command's move to nominate candidates against his 'advice'.

Murshidabad has been the party stronghold, with Congress bagging all the parliamentary seats there during the 2004 Lok Sabha polls, including Jangipur held by Union Defence minister Pranab Mukherjee.

The Congress strongman and MP from Berhampore, Adhir Chowdhury, told sources that he would campaign for party rebels to contest as independents against its official nominees in the three seats.

He said he was protesting against the high command's decision to nominate candidates against his advice, when he was the president of the party in Murshidabad.

Chowdhury has been engaged in a running feud with three sitting MLAs in the district and has urged the high command to deny them tickets alleging they were 'CPI(M) agents'. Chowdhury, considered a mass leader, is allegedly at loggerheads with Atish Sinha, Congress Legislature Party leader of the outgoing assembly.

He has demanded that Sinha's candidature from Kandi constituency in Murshidabad and also that of Mayarani Pal in Berhampur and Niyamat Sheikh at Hariharpara be withdrawn.

If the demands were not met with, the WBPCC would have to face a full-scale revolt from within the district Congress, he warned.

He would also stay away from Berhampore, the district headquarters of Murshidabad, till the end of the polls, he said. "Since I plan to work for independents, it will not be ethical for me to function from the DCC headquarters at Berhampore.

Chowdhury claimed that the way candidates had been selected would give a sure victory to the ruling Left Front. "In my hometurf, I cannot give a walk over to CPI(M), RSP and BJP candidates," he said claiming that rebels had better prospects of winning than the official nominees.

Asked whether he felt that he was let down by Pranab Mukherjee, who is also the state party chief in selection of candidates, he said, "I have serious doubt actually whether he is really able to exert influence on PCC leaders".

Chowdhury has started campaigning for party rebel candidate Monoj Chakraborty for the Berhampore seat.

Asked whether his acts would not tantamount to anti-party activity, the firebrand Congress leader said, "Apparently it looks so, but the ground reality is different". The Pradesh Congress leadership has been silent over Chowdhury's diatribes against the candidate selection.

"No comment," said the West Bengal Congress working president Pradip Bhattacherjee. In the last 2001 assembly polls when Congress fought the elections in alliance with the Trinamool Congress it won in six of the 19 assembly seats.

Chowdhury has an organisational network in the district which could match the CPI(M) and its surge over the leftists in the district was evident when it wrested control from the Left Front of the Zilla Parishad in 2003.

Following up the success, it took a lead over the Left Front nominees in 18 of the 19 assembly segment in the 2004 polls.