TMC desperate to win in Alipurduar

SNS, Siliguri, 17 July : Keeping an eye on the proposed Alipurduar zilla parishad following chief minister Miss Mamata Banerjee’s plan to declare Alipurduar district bifurcating present Jalpaiguri, the Trinamul Congress leaders are trying hard to win at least 10 zilla parishad seats out of 18 ZP ones. 

Reacting to the Trinamul’s dream, the Congress leaders claimed that the TMC would be able to win some seats in Falakata, where the chief minister would address a public meeting on 23 July, but in other parts it would be a distant dream for Miss Mamata Banerjee. 

On the other hand, the Left Front leaders said: "Let them dream before poll results are out." 

A senior Trinamul leader, Mr Mridul Goswami, admitted that keeping an eye on the proposed Alipurduar district and its separate zilla parishad the party leaders had targeted to win at least 12 ZP seats out of 18 though nine seats are enough to form the board. 

Mr Goswami also disclosed that chief minister Miss Banerjee would announce and start functioning of a separate Alipurduar district just after poll results if the Trinamul Congress can capture the board. “We expect three ZP seats from Falakata Assembly segment, which is totally under the control of the Trinamul Congress. 

Besides, we expect at least two seats from each block like Kalchini, Madarihat, Alipurduar-I and II. We will be able to win at least one seat in Kumargram block though party workers expect a hard fight there,” Mr Goswami said. 

But the Congress leaders do not believe that the Trinamul Congress would be able to capture the Alipurduar ZP with the support from other political parties, including the Congress. 

A senior leader, Mr Biswaranjan Sarkar, the former Jalpaiguri district Congress president, said: “Except Falakata, where the Trinamul had bagged a MLA seat, TMC candidates would not be able to win the required seats in other blocks. 

Despite several efforts, including terror tactics, the TMC will not be able to capture the proposed Alipurduar zilla parishad without the help of other political parties.” Mr Sarkar claimed that the Congress candidates would win at least two seats in Kalchini, two seats in Alipurduar-I and one seat in Alipurduar-II. 

“Our party candidates would not be able to win seats in Kumargram due to organisational weaknesses. On the other hand, Left parties ~ mainly the RSP ~ would fight the Trinamul Congress better in the Madarihat block. So, the Trinamul has no chance to form a board without the support from other political parties,” Mr Sarkar said. 

The Jalpaiguri district CPI-M secretary, Mr Krishna Banerjee, said: “Political parties like the Trinamul Congress can dream of better results.” 

“We will be able to retain control over almost all seats, which were under our control, if the administration can prevent the Trinamul Congress from unleashing terror tactics,” he said.