Congress Hopeful After Mausam Noor’s Homecoming, Eyes Reclaiming Old Stronghold in Malda

Kolkata: Just three months ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections, the Congress has delivered a significant political jolt to the Trinamool Congress (TMC). Former TMC Rajya Sabha MP Mausam Noor has returned to the Congress after seven years, reviving hopes for the party’s resurgence in the strategically important Malda district.

Mausam Noor, niece of veteran Congress leader A. Ghani Khan Choudhury, rejoined the Congress, a move seen as a major setback for the ruling TMC and a morale booster for the opposition party. The Choudhury family has historically wielded considerable influence in Malda, particularly among minority voters, and Noor’s return is expected to strengthen the Congress’s organisational base in the region.

A Familiar Face Returns to the Congress Fold

Before switching to the TMC in 2019, Mausam Noor was considered close to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. She entered active politics in 2008 following the death of her mother, Ruby Noor, and won a by-election from the Sujapur Assembly seat in 2009. The same year, she was elected to the Lok Sabha from Malda North, benefitting from the political legacy of A. Ghani Khan Choudhury.

In 2011, Rahul Gandhi appointed her President of the West Bengal Youth Congress, and she later served as the district Congress chief in Malda. Noor was re-elected to the Lok Sabha in 2014, consolidating her position as one of the Congress’s prominent faces in Bengal.

Exit to TMC and Political Setbacks

Ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Mausam Noor advocated an alliance with the TMC, a move opposed by then Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. Disillusioned, she quit the Congress and joined the TMC. However, she lost the 2019 election from Malda North to BJP’s Khagen Murmu. In 2020, the TMC nominated her to the Rajya Sabha.

The Congress suffered a major decline in Malda during this period. While the party had won eight of the 13 Assembly seats in Malda in 2016, it failed to win even a single seat in the district in the 2021 Assembly elections.

Congress Sees Opportunity in Minority Discontent

Congress leaders believe Mausam Noor’s return could help the party regain lost ground in Malda and neighbouring Murshidabad, where sections of minority voters are reportedly dissatisfied with the TMC over issues such as the Waqf law and governance concerns.

The party is also encouraged by the 2024 Lok Sabha victory of Isha Khan Choudhury, Noor’s cousin, who emerged as the Congress’s only MP from Bengal. Her win reaffirmed the enduring influence of the Choudhury legacy in South Malda.

A Potential Game-Changer Ahead of Assembly Polls

With Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury largely seen as Murshidabad-centric, Congress leaders feel that Mausam Noor could emerge as a prominent female face of the party in Bengal, helping broaden its appeal. Her return is expected to energise the Left-Congress alliance and potentially alter electoral equations in the upcoming Assembly elections.

As political realignments intensify in West Bengal, Mausam Noor’s homecoming has given the Congress renewed confidence that it may yet reclaim its once-formidable bastion in Malda.