TMC leaders remember Pranab Mukherjee fondly; they helped him win 1st LS polls

Pranab Mukherjee was respected by most in his constituency of Jangipur.

As the nation watched on television the last journey of former President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday, there was mourning in Bengal’s Jangipur that, in 2004, ended the Congress veteran’s anguish of never winning a public election despite serving as cabinet minister since the 1970s.

Pranab Mukherjee won the Lok Sabha elections from Jangipur constituency in 2004 and 2009 (HT ARCHIVE*)

Mukherjee contested and won the Jangipur seat in Murshidabad district in 2004 and won it again in 2009. Till 2004, he had been a member of the Rajya Sabha. “Perhaps people don’t like me,” Mukherjee had jokingly said during an interview.

After the 2004 victory, Mukherjee said in his first speech at Jangipur that he was thankful to the people for finally giving him a land to represent. According to the 2011 census, 66.27 % of the district’s population comprised of Muslims.

Mohammad Sohrab, a former Congress MLA and now a senior TMC leader in the district, was Mukherjee’s election agent in 2004 and 2009.

“I had cast my vote for Pranab Babu in Rajya Sabha election, Lok Sabha election and even in the election for the President’s post. I knew him for 50 years. He will be missed forever,” said Sohrab.

“In 2004, ensuring his victory was a Herculean task as the Communist Party of India (Marxist), which had a strong base, had won the seat twice earlier. Our job was much easier in 2009,” added the former lawmaker.

“Pranab Babu was a very religious person and respected all religions. His visit to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) headquarters raised many questions here,” he added.

Now the minister of state for labour in the TMC government, Jakir Hossain is another person who played a key role in Mukherjee’s Lok Sabha victories.

Hossain said, “I met Pranab Da for the first time a few months before the 2004 polls. He said, ‘Jakir, I need your help to win the seat.’ I assured him that victory would be ours.”

“I used all my influence on voters to ensure his victory in 2004. But in 2009, the developmental work he had done in the preceding years made the polls a cakewalk for us,” said the minister.

“It is only because of Pranab Da that I got the opportunity to step inside Rashtrapati Bhawan, an experience I will never forget,” said Hossain.

Now, the lawmaker from the Raghunathganj assembly constituency, Md Akhrujjaman was one of the lieutenants of Mukherjee during the poll campaigns.

“In 2004, Congress MLA Samar Mukherjee told me that Pranab Da would contest from Jangipur and asked me to find out a suitable house for him in Raghunathganj town. We selected the house of Mukti Dhar, a local resident,” said the TMC MLA.

“I was among the key strategists during the campaign. I requested Pranab Da to ensure deployment of Central security forces at Geria and Sekendra, where rigging was part of polling back in those days. The Election Commission did not allow it. However, it was probably because of Pranab Da’s image that no one dared to rig the polls in those places,” said Akhrujjaman.

“I have countless memories. I will never forget that because of him I could fly in a helicopter and visit the Rashtrapati Bhawan,” added the lawmaker.

After Mukherjee gave up the seat in 2012 to become the President of India, his son, Abhijit Mukherjee, succeeded him as the Congress candidate. He retained the seat twice in a row till the ruling Trinamool Congress wrested Jangipur in 2019.