Her initial attempt to cash in on the mysterious death of graphics designer Rizwanur Rahaman failed when his brother Rukbanur Rahman lost the Kolkata Municipal Corporation election as Trinamul Congress candidate in 2010.
But, Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee did not give up.
In an apparent bid to make electoral gains, she has nominated Rukbanur from Muslim-dominated Chapra constituency in Nadia district, a township close to Indo-angladesh border. The decision to nominate him from Chapra, a strong Left bastion, which turned green during the last Lok Sabha poll, has rattled the CPI(M), which was confident of retaining the seat due to squabbles between the local leaderships of Congress and Trinamul Congress.
Rukbanur became a familiar name following Rizwanur's death in 2007, which police say was a suicide, but his family claims was a murder. Rukbanur is confident of victory despite receiving 'outsider' tag. “My personal identity as a Kolkatan is immaterial as I am a representative of Mamata Banerjee who has developed an iconic identity in remote area like Chapra,” he said. He has made several visits to Chapra and claims to have understood the pulse of the people. "They will not vote for me but for Didi,' he said.
As a remote area close to Bangladesh border, Chapra, which is about 125 KM from Kolkata, has suffered due to lack of development. “The CPI(M) has merely used the Muslims as the vote bank without removing their social, economic and educational backwardness,” he added.
Rukbabur rejected the suggestion that his candidature was an attempt to encash the sentiments related to his deceased brother.
“I was a social worker even before his death and have my own personal identity.” he said.