Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury (born 2 April 1956) is an Indian politician who served as the leader of the Indian National Congress in the 17th Lok Sabha (de-facto Leader of Opposition) from 2019 to 2024 and the Member of Parliament from Berhampore from 1999 to 2024. He has served as the president of West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC) following the demise of Somendra Nath Mitra from 2020 to 2024.

Personal life Chowdhury was born on 2 April 1956 to Niranjan and Saroja Bala Chowdhury at Berhampore in Murshidabad district, West Bengal. He studied at I. C. Institute in Berhampore. Chowdhury married Arpita Chowdhury on 15 September 1987. They had a daughter, Shreyashi, who died in October 2006. On 9 January 2019, Arpita died. He later married Atashi C Chowdhury.

Political career In the 1970s, Choudhary was involved with the Naxalism movement. He joined the Indian National Congress party during the premiership of Rajiv Gandhi. In 1991, he contested the West Bengal Legislative Assembly election from Nabagram constituency. During the polling, he was chased by 300 supporters of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and held hostage by its candidate. Chowdhury lost by a margin of 1,401 votes. In 1996, he was elected from the same constituency. Chowdhury polled 76,852 votes and won by a margin of approximately 20,329 votes.

Chowdhury contested the 1999 Indian general election from Berhampore constituency. He won by a margin of 95,391 votes Following his success, he was made the Congress president for the Murshidabad district.

Chowdhury taking charge as the Minister of State for Railways, in New Delhi on 29 October 2012He became the president of West Bengal Pradesh Congress on 10 February 2014.

Leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha In June 2019, he was selected as Congress leader in Lok Sabha. According to a report in NDTV, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury was given the job after the party failed to convince Rahul Gandhi. On 26 July 2019, Chowdhury was appointed the chairman of Seventeenth Lok Sabha Committee on Public Accounts. The Public Accounts Committee is now constituted every year under Rule 308 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha.

After the death of Somen Mitra, the then president of West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee, on 9 September 2020, Chowdhury was appointed the president of West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee.

Upset election defeat and resignation In an electoral upset, Chowdhury faced defeat in the INC's bastion Berhampore by the TMC-fielded former cricketer Yusuf Pathan by more than 85,000 votes in the 2024 Indian general election.

Election history Lok Sabha

West Bengal Legislative Assembly