After a surprising setback in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections at his stronghold in Berhampore, veteran Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury is reportedly gearing up for a return to state politics. According to high-level sources within the Congress party, the leadership is considering fielding the former West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee chief from the Berhampore Assembly constituency in the upcoming 2026 elections.

Adhir’s parliamentary career actually took off from the State Assembly. He was first elected as an MLA from the Nabagram constituency in Murshidabad in 1996, serving until 1999. Since then, he remained an MP from Berhampore for five consecutive terms and held the prestigious post of Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha. However, following his defeat to TMC’s Yusuf Pathan in 2024, speculation has been rife about his next political move.

Party insiders suggest that with Shubhankar Sarkar now leading the state unit, Adhir is “free” from organizational burdens and can focus entirely on reclaiming his influence on the ground. The Congress High Command believes that having a powerful and experienced voice like Adhir in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly would significantly bolster the party’s presence in the state. While the final decision awaits the Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting, the possibility of the “Robin Hood of Berhampore” returning to the state assembly has already intensified political debates in Murshidabad.