"If Not Congress, Vote For BJP, But Not TMC": Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury's Video Goes Viral, Jairam Ramesh Clarifies

After a video of West Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury went viral, another Congress leader Jairam Ramesh clarified that the party's stance is to decrease the BJP's seat tally in the state.

In the viral video, incumbent Baharampur MP and Congress candidate Chowdhury can be seen as saying in Bangla, "If not for Congress then vote to the BJP but not to the TMC."

Notably, despite being in INDI Alliance with the Congress, Mamata Banerjee-led TMC refused to accept any seat-sharing arrangement in West Bengal for the Lok Sabha elections.

TMC has fielded cricketer Yusuf Pathan in Baharampur, a constituency that Chowdhury has held since 1999 by winning five consecutive times. BJP candidate here is Nirmal Kumar Saha.

Chowdhury has been at loggerheads with Banerjee. He criticised TMC over Sandeshkhali sexual assault and land grab allegations and also slammed TMC when it had offered two seats to the Congress in Bengal.

Responding to Chowdhury's remarks, Jairam Ramesh said, "I haven't seen the video and don't know in which context he has said this but I want to make it clear that Congress party has just one aim that is to heavily decrease the number of seats of the BJP that it has got in 2019."

In 2019, the BJP won 18 seats, TMC 22 and the Congress just two of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal. At that time, TMC and Congress were not in alliance. However, since they are fielding candidates against each other this time as well, not much difference will be made.

The TMC took Chowdhury's video seriously and criticised him on X by calling him "voice of BJP in Bengal", "B-Team member" and "Bangla-Birodhi (anti-Bangla)" and urged people to "give a befitting response to this betrayal."