Somen is new Bengal Congress head

NEWDELHI: Less than a year before the general elections, the Congress appointed its old warhorse, Somen Mitra, as the state unit head in West Bengal, shifting incumbent Adhir Chowdhury to a different role. Mitra, an old Congress hand, had once quit the party for a stint with Trinamool Congress.

The reshuffle assumes significance as the party has been reduced to a marginal force in the state with 42 Lok Sabha seats.

Chowdhury has been appointed as the chairman of the party’s state campaign committee.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi also named four working presidents of the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee -Sankar Malakar, Nepal Mahato, Abu Hasem Khan Chowdhury and Deepa Dasmunsi.

In the last assembly election, the Congress entered into an informal understanding with the Left and was able to improve its tally.

The new state unit head, Mitra, also feels the need to maintain a distance from Trinamool.

“Congress is a national party and AICC’S decision is final in the question of electoral alliance. As a state president, I cannot take a decision on it. But Trinamool is trying to destroy Congress in Bengal every day and I personally feel that unless we maintain a distance, it will not be possible to arrest Congress’s declining popularity here,” said Mitra.

Amid intense speculations about his future steps, Chowdhury indicated his unhappiness and reluctance to take the new position.

“The AICC did what they felt right. I have nothing to say. I had earlier told Rahul Gandhi that if he feels that I am unable to perform, he can appoint someone else. I would tell them (the AICC) to appoint someone else as chairman of that (campaign) committee,” he said.

Just like Chowdhury, Mitra too had a sour relations with Ben- gal’s leading political force, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee. It was during his earlier tenure as the state head, that Banerjee quit the party had formed her own outfit.

When whom to ally with, the Left or Trinamool, Mitra said, “I have already expressed my opinion to my party high- command, that alliance with Trinamool might give a short term benefit. But for long-term gains, an understanding with the Left is desirable.”

Congress president Rahul Gandhi had recently changed PCC presidents in state like Kerala, Odisha and Bihar in a bid to overhaul the party organization for the Lok Sabha polls in 2019.