Kolkata, June 20, 2026
The All-India Congress Committee (AICC) on Saturday allotted the posts of leader and deputy leader of the Congress’s legislative party in the West Bengal Assembly to both the existing party legislators in the house.
While Julfikar Ali from Raninagar Assembly Constituency in minority-dominated Murshidabad district has been allotted the post of leader of the Congress’s legislative party in the West Bengal Assembly, the party MLA from Farakka in the same district, Motab Shaikh, has been allotted the post of deputy leader.
In the recently concluded West Bengal Assembly polls, the Congress contested independently from all 294 constituencies and won only from Raninagar and Farakka.
All other heavyweight Congress candidates, including the party’s current state president, Suvankar Sarkar, and former state president, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, were defeated this time.
At Raninagar, Julfikar Ali defeated Trinamool Congress’s Abdul Soumik Hossain by a margin of less than 3,000 votes. At Farakka, Motab Shaikh defeated Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Sunil Chowdhury by a margin of less than 9,000 votes.
Both Julfikar Ali and Motab Shaikh are first-time legislators.
The recently concluded West Bengal Assembly polls marked the end of the 15-year Trinamool Congress regime in the state. The BJP formed its first government in West Bengal since independence, with party candidates winning from 208 constituencies.
The previous ruling party, the Trinamool Congress, won 80 constituencies. Congress and former Trinamool Congress legislator Humayun Kabir-founded Aam Janata Unnyaan Party (AJUP) finished with two each.
The CPI(M) and All India Secular Front (AISF) finished with one each.
Both Congress and the CPI(M)-led Left Front, despite contesting under a seat-sharing arrangement in 2021, could not win a single Assembly constituency that time. However, the Left Front and AISF continued with their seat-sharing arrangement in 2026 as well.(Agency)
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