The narrow victory of Abhijit Mukherjee in the Jangipur Lok Sabha bypoll has left the West Bengal Congress leadership extremely worried before the crucial panchayat polls.
Both Mr Mukherjee and Murshidabad district Congress president Adhir Chowdhury have admitted that the UPA government’s recent economic reforms, including hike in diesel price and the cut in the number of subsidised LPG cylinders have alienated a large section of supporters.
Mr Mukherjee won by just over 2,500 votes while his father Pranab Mukherjee had won Jangipur seat in 2009 by a whopping 1,28,000 votes.
Echoing similar views, state Congress president Pradip Bhattacharya also said that the hike in diesel price and the restriction on subsidised LPG cylinders had affected farmers and common people. “I have already written to the Centre drawing its attention to this,” he added.
The state Congress leaders had earlier planned to launch a sustained movement to defend the Centre’s economic reforms, particularly to counter Mamata Banerjee’s anti-UPA campaign. But now they are having second thoughts.
The Congress leadership will chalk out their future course of action in an extended executive committee of the party at Bidhan Bhavan on Tuesday. AICC general secretary and in-charge of Bengal Shakil Ahmed will chair the meeting. The party leaders will discuss and analyse the Jangipur poll result in the meeting.