Jangipur, the constituency that sent Pranab Mukherjee to Lok Sabha, now mourns the loss of its ‘Guardian’

Jangipur (West Bengal): Pranab Mukherjee towered over India’s political landscape for decades. However, it was Jangipur in West Bengal which helped the scholar-statesman shed the tag of a ‘rootless wanderer’.  The town in West Bengal was in mourning Tuesday, the day the mortal remains of its most illustrious representative in Parliament were cremated. Pranab Mukherjee then became a memory. The Jangipur constituency twice elected him to the Lok Sabha. This came after two failed attempts to enter the Lower House.

A crafty politician, Mukherjee occupied several important positions in the government. However, a Lok Sabha seat long eluded him. He lost elections twice – first from the Malda constituency in 1977 and Bolpur in 1980. The losses earned the moniker of a ‘rootless wanderer’.

Interesting story

Mukherjee was a Rajya Sabha member for more than four decades since 1969. He however, had often publicly regretted the fact that popular vote was not in his favour.

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the current Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, had convinced him to fight elections. And finally Mukherjee did so from Jangipur in 2004.

Loss of guardian

Mohammed Sohrab, the poll agent of Mukherjee in 2004 and 2009, said Jangipur has lost its ‘guardian’.

“He was very passionate about the development of Jangipur. He used to say that happiness derived from winning the votes of the masses is unparalleled. Irrespective of who the MP or the MLA is in the constituency, Pranabda was the guardian of Jangipur since 2004,” said Sohrab.

All for development

In 2004, Mukherjee had won the seat by a margin of just 36,000 votes. The margin increased by leaps and bounds in 2009, when Mukherjee defeated his nearest rival by 1,28,149 votes.

Also read: Former President Pranab Mukherjee cremated with full state honours

“He improved the socio-economic conditions of the minority-dominated constituency. He brought in several developmental projects for the districts bidi industry,” Sohrab said.

Helping out the bidi industry

Ali Hossain is a local Congress leader who is also associated with the district’s Bidi industry. He also had his opinion to offer. “Pranab da helped set up a provident fund office for the bidi makers. He also ensured schools were built in the area for our children. He was always there when we needed him,” informed Hossain.

Even after becoming India’s president, he would regularly enquire about the well-being of the people of Jangipur, Hossain informed.

“If not abroad, he would always make it a point to visit his constituency every week between 2004 and 2012. And every time, it was for the inauguration of a bank branch or some other development project.

Liked by adversaries

Mukherjee, with his genial demeanour, also won the hearts of his political adversaries. The local Left Front leadership also grieved over his demise.

“Pranab da will always remain synonymous with Jangipur. It was his second home. He was in touch with several local leaders in the constituency till the end,” RSP leader Tajmal Sheikh said.

Ability to mix

AICC member from West Bengal Bipra Das Chakraborty was an integral part of Mukherjee’s campaign team. He said the Congressman had the rare ability to get along with common people.

“Despite the scorching heat during poll campaigns, he always maintained his cool. He could connect with anybody with ease, be it a local party worker or a poor farmer. We watched him with awe when he, a man of such great stature, struck instant rapport with the locals,” Chakraborty said.

After Mukherjee became the president, his corporate executive son Abhijit won the seat twice in 2012 and 2014. It is a reflection of the enduring charm and charisma of the Congress warhorse.