'Barkat da' still looms large: Congress banks on Ghani Khan Choudhury’s legacy in West Bengal's Malda battle

Two decades after his death, A.B.A. Ghani Khan Choudhury, still fondly remembered as “Barkat da”, continues to shape the Congress campaign in Malda, as the party leans heavily on his enduring legacy in the final stretch of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, Times of India reported.

In a district where his imprint runs deep, influencing both political memory and voter behaviour, the Congress is attempting to convert nostalgia into electoral traction in what is now a tightly contested, triangular fight.

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That effort has been reinforced by the return of Mausam Benazir Noor, Ghani Khan Choudhury’s niece and a two-time MP, who rejoined the Congress after a seven-year stint with the All India Trinamool Congress. Noor is now contesting from Malatipur, with her comeback framed as both a political recalibration and an attempt to revive the emotional connect associated with the Khan Choudhury family.

Her return is widely seen as a test of whether the so-called “Barkat da factor” — the enduring appeal of Ghani Khan Choudhury — still carries electoral weight.

“We belong to Ghani Khan’s family, and people believe we continue his legacy. Thus, we have a lot of responsibility and obligation as well,” Noor said. “Our party is not in govt in either the state or the Centre, but in Malda, Ghani Khan Choudhury’s legacy keeps Congress relevant and strong.”

Campaigning in Maharajpur village in Malatipur, Noor also acknowledged the political and personal costs of her exit from the Congress in 2019. “When I left Congress, I hurt many feelings, especially of the Gandhi family, as Ghani Khan Choudhury and Sonia Gandhi were very close. But the situation got sorted after I returned. I am personally happy to be back to my roots and family,” she said.

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Noor had quit the Congress after differences with the state leadership over a proposed alliance with the Trinamool Congress. Her stint outside the party, however, coincided with a dip in electoral fortunes. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, she lost to the BJP’s Khagen Murmu, marking a break from the dominance long associated with her uncle’s bastion.

In Malda town, the Congress campaign is being led by Isha Khan Choudhury, the next-generation face of the family and currently the party’s most visible leader in the district.

“Ghani Khan Choudhury’s legacy inspires us every day and it is that very legacy and the people’s love for our family that keeps Congress so strong in this part of Bengal even today,” he said. “We believe in his strategy of standing next to the people of Malda, even if we are not in govt,” he added, speaking from the family home in Kotwali, flanked by garlanded photographs of Ghani Khan Choudhury and his brother, Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury.

A Union minister under both Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, Ghani Khan Choudhury is still remembered locally for expanding railway connectivity and pushing infrastructure development in the region. His brand of politics helped build a durable support base that continues to influence voting patterns in Malda.

Yet the political landscape has grown more complex. In the 2021 Assembly elections, the Congress failed to win a single seat in the district, while the Trinamool Congress secured eight of the 12 seats. The Bharatiya Janata Party, which has expanded its footprint since 2019, holds four, turning Malda into a three-cornered contest.

The Trinamool Congress, while challenging the Congress electorally, has also sought to appropriate parts of the legacy. “We respect Ghani Khan Choudhury, and take inspiration from what he did for Malda,” said Abdur Rahim Boxi, the Trinamool MLA from Malatipur and Noor’s principal rival. Boxi had won the seat in 2021 by a margin of over 91,000 votes.

The BJP, for its part, is campaigning on development, aiming to consolidate gains made in recent years and tap into shifting voter alignments across the district.

Within the Congress, there is cautious optimism that Noor’s return could help reconnect with voters, particularly in rural pockets where the family’s influence has historically been strong. However, the absence of an alliance with the Trinamool Congress and the BJP’s growing presence have made the electoral arithmetic more challenging.

With all three major players staking claim to Malda’s political space, the contest is increasingly being framed around legacy, welfare delivery and development — with “Barkat da” continuing to loom large over the battlefield.