Congress names five-time West Bengal MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury as Lok Sabha leader

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has been winning Lok Sabha election from West Bengal's Berhampore since 1999.

Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday sent a letter to Lok Sabha Secretary General informing that five-time West Bengal MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury will be the leader of Congress in Lower House of Parliament.

Talking to ANI, Chowdhury said that he was happy to know that the party has given this responsibility and asked him to stand in the front for Congress. The veteran MP said that he is a foot soldier and it is the duty of foot soldiers to stand in front.

"I have been given this responsibility (the leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha). I was asked to stand in the front. I said okay. I am a foot soldier and foot soldiers stand in front. So I will fight as a foot soldier," ANI quoted Chowdhury as saying.

Congress MP from West Bengal, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury: I have been given this responsibility (the leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha). I was asked to stand in the front. I said okay. I am a foot soldier and foot soldiers stand in front. So I will fight as a foot soldier pic.twitter.com/jf42aQWXXO — ANI (@ANI) June 18, 2019

Sources said that the names of Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari, Thiravanthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor and Mavelikkara MP Kodikunnil Suresh were also discussed during the meeting of Congress' Parliamentary Core Committee at Sonia Gandhi’s house. It is to be noted that Congress is the largest party opposition party in the Lok Saba with 52 MPs but the party is still short by three members to get the status of Leader of Opposition.

Chowdhury has been winning Lok Sabha election from West Bengal's Berhampore since 1999. He was also the president of the Bengal unit of the Congress. The Congress has managed to win just two Lok Sabha seats out of 42 in West Bengal. Mallikarjun Kharge was the leader of Congress in last Lok Sabha. Kharge contested from Karnataka’s Gulbarga in 2019 Lok Sabha election but he failed to win the seat.