If Byron still considers himself a disciple of Adhir Chowdhury in this manner, then Sagardighi is now witnessing a battle between two of Adhir's disciples. The Congress candidate, Manoj Chakraborty, is also a highly trusted confidant of Adhir Chowdhury; he never abandoned his 'Dada' (elder brother/mentor), even during the darkest of times.
In fact, during the tenure of Mamata Banerjee, Sagardighi in Murshidabad had remained largely placid—its waters still and calm. However, following the death of Trinamool MLA Subrata Saha in 2023, a by-election was held in the constituency. In that election, with the backing of the Left Front, Adhir fielded Byron Biswas as the Congress candidate. Typically, the ruling party does not lose by-elections. Moreover, in Bengal under Mamata Banerjee's regime, by-elections have evolved into record-breaking electoral events. For instance, in 2016, Sajal Panja won by a margin of just 700 votes, defeating the candidate fielded by the Left-Congress alliance. Yet, following Sajal's untimely demise later that same year, when his son, Saikat Panja, contested the Monteshwar by-election on a Trinamool ticket, he secured a victory by a staggering margin of 127,000 votes.
Similarly, in 2021, Nisith Pramanik defeated Udayan Guha in the Dinhata Assembly constituency by a mere 57 votes. However, after Nisith resigned—and a by-election was subsequently held in Dinhata later that very year—Udayan emerged victorious with a lead of 164,000 votes. It was by breaking this very convention—while sitting on the banks of Sagardighi—that Byron wrote his political epic. In the by-election, he defeated the Trinamool candidate by a margin of 23,000 votes. Shortly thereafter, bidding farewell to Adhir Chowdhury, he joined the Trinamool Congress.
It is this very Byron Biswas whom the Trinamool has once again fielded as its candidate in Sagardighi. While out campaigning in Sagardighi, this same Byron suddenly remarked, "I am selfish. I committed an act of betrayal. I received my ticket from the Congress. My political initiation took place under the guidance of Adhir Chowdhury. He is my mentor—my *Guru*. I shall revere him until the very last day of my life."
These words from Byron have caused a massive stir in Sagardighi as people attempt to fathom their true significance. Some are left wondering: is this a calculated strategy to woo Congress voters, or is it an act of surrender born of the realization that a crushing defeat is imminent?
Byron maintains, "This is no strategy; to me, he (Adhir) ranks second only to God. I hold *Dada* in high esteem; as my elder brother, I have no objection if he chooses to offer me counsel or criticism."
When questioned about this sudden volte-face by Byron, Adhir Chowdhury burst into hearty laughter. He then recounted, "The other day in Sagardighi, upon seeing me arrive, he abandoned his car in the middle of the road and went into hiding. This caused a traffic jam. The police had to intervene and call him out. Eventually, he emerged, blew a 'flying kiss' in my direction, and then hopped back into his car."
According to many political observers, in the last thirty years of Murshidabad's politics, no political figure of such towering stature as Adhir Chowdhury has emerged. And it is not just Byron; Adhir Chowdhury is the man who groomed them all into leaders—from Apurba Sarkar in Kandi and Akhruzzaman in Raghunathganj to Imani Biswas in Suti, as well as MP Abu Taher, Humayun Kabir, and Manoj Chakraborty. It was Adhir who steered them to victory in their respective Assembly elections. Subsequently—with the sole exception of Manoj—all the others eventually defected to the Trinamool Congress, one after another.