Jangipur gave Pranab Mukherjee the popular mandate

JANGIPUR (MURSHIDABAD): A Rajya Sabha member right from the start of his political career, Pranab Mukherjee’s rise to prominence in Indian politics and his proximity to Indira Gandhi had drawn the ire of many, who would criticize him for lacking a mass base. They would say he had chosen the easy way out to get into Parliament through votes of MLAs rather than of people directly. It was Jangipur that helped him shed the tag of a “rootless wanderer” that he carried for three decades.


In 2004, Mukherjee silenced his critics with his victory from Jangipur in the Lok Sabha election. And, he never forgot to thank his voters. After all, it was this new-found stand that propelled him to the pinnacle of Indian politics.

He nursed his constituency extensively on the ground, ushering in a spree of development in the backward areas. Former Congress councillor and now local Trinamool leader Bikash Nanda said, “Pranabda will be remembered as the man who ushered development into a backward Jangipur and other areas of Murshidabad.

“He had taken the lead in setting up an Aligarh Muslim University campus at Ahiron, an MDI campus at Talaimore, a PF office, an Army camp at Nabagram, restarted the Army Recruitment Centre at Behrampore and made banks open branches in remote villages.”