As the bugle for the 2026 Assembly Elections sounds across West Bengal, the political atmosphere in Berhampore has turned volatile. The veteran Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and his former protégé, now Berhampore Municipality Chairman Nadugopal Mukherjee, are engaged in a fierce face-off. The rivalry escalated significantly when Mukherjee ordered the closure of the ‘Lalan Seva Samiti’ water project, an NGO initiative run by Chowdhury that provided affordable drinking water to local residents.

The ₹10 Crore Scandal: The conflict ignited when Adhir Chowdhury held a press conference accusing Nadugopal Mukherjee of blatant nepotism. Chowdhury alleged that Mukherjee’s mother-in-law’s firm was illegally awarded a municipal tender worth ₹10 crore. Citing municipal laws, Chowdhury claimed that immediate family members of the Chairman are prohibited from receiving contracts. He presented documents to back his claims of corruption, calling it a betrayal of public trust.

Tit-for-Tat Politics: Retaliating swiftly, Nadugopal Mukherjee dismissed the allegations, stating the firm in question had been sold long ago and he has no personal interest in it. In a move widely seen as a counter-strike, he ordered the shutdown of the Lalan Seva Samiti’s water plant, citing administrative reasons. Mukherjee didn’t stop there; he threatened to “expose more misdeeds” of the Congress leader in the coming days.

A High-Stakes Battle: The upcoming assembly election is set to be a “Master vs. Disciple” showdown. Although Adhir Chowdhury lost the 2024 Lok Sabha elections to cricketer-turned-politician Yusuf Pathan, he maintained a strong lead in the Berhampore assembly segment. Now, with Nadugopal likely to be the TMC candidate for the same seat, the fight has turned personal. While the two leaders trade insults and legal threats, the common people of Berhampore find themselves caught in the crossfire of this high-profile political feud.