Kolkata, Feb 14 (IANS) Janata Unnayan Party founder Humayun Kabir, on Saturday, claimed that being a part of Trinamool Congress’ “ploy” to defeat former state Congress president in West Bengal and former five-time Lok Sabha member, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, from Baharampur Lok Sabha constituency in 2024 was one of the biggest blunders in his life.

Kabir is the legislator from Bharatpur Assembly constituency, which is one of the seven Assembly constituencies under Baharampur Lok Sabha. After getting elected from Baharampur for five consecutive terms in 2024, Chowdhury was defeated by the Trinamool Congress candidate and cricketer-turned-politician, Yusuf Pathan, by a margin of 85,022 votes.

Speaking to a section of the media persons, Kabir also said that getting Pathan, a resident of Gujarat, became a misfortune for the voters of Baharampur.

“Pathan rarely comes to Baharampur since the time he got elected as MP here in 2024. Even after getting elected, he did not thank the voters of Baharampur for coming here. The defeat of the former five-time Lok Sabha member in 2024 was a mistake for the people of Baharampur. And my blinder was that I became a part of the exercise in getting him defeated in 2024,” Kabir said.

He also said that since he is repenting for his mistake, he will also be part of the process to ensure a landslide defeat for Pathan in the next Lok Sabha elections in 2029.

Kabir was suspended from Trinamool Congress just days before the foundation stone for the proposed Babri Mosque at Beldanga in Murshidabad district, which he had initiated, was laid.

Meanwhile, Kabir had floated his political outfit, Janata Unnayan Party, and given an alliance call to all anti-BJP and anti-Trinamool Congress forces for the forthcoming Assembly elections in the state scheduled later this year.

However, except for the Asaduddin Owaisi-founded AIMIM, his alliance talks have not progressed much.

–IANS

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