Left, Cong stick together for panchayats

AVIJIT SINHA, TT, Siliguri, Nov. 6:  The Left and the Congress have worked out an understanding to jointly form boards in five of the 10 hung panchayats in the Siliguri Mahakuma Parishad to counter Trinamul, leaders of both Opposition parties said today.

In seven of the total 22 gram panchayats, the Left has the majority, in another five Trinamul can form boards on its own.

The understanding between the Left and the Congress is not a formal one, so no leader was ready to speak on record.

"We have the highest number of seats in some of the panchayats. But there are panchayats which are hung. This is why we sought the support from elected members of all other parties and Independents, except Trinamul, in these panchayats. Our sole intention is to keep Trinamul away from power. Many have responded to our call and we are confident that tomorrow, we will bag most of the 22 panchayats," Asok Bhattacharya, a state secretariat member of CPM and Siliguri's mayor, said today.

"Ten panchayats are hung but out of these, the Left and Congress, who have allied informally to keep Trinamul at bay, can bag at least five. Trinamul had also called for an alliance at local levels to thwart the Left. In the remaining five panchayats, whether it is the Left-Congress together, or Trinamul, neither has seats to reach the magic figure. Here, they need support of other elected members from the BJP, JMM or Independents," a political observer said. "As these panchayat members hold the key in these five panchayats, it would be an interesting scene to watch as whether they tilt at Left and Congress or at Trinamul."

Talks with these members are on at local levels from both sides, sources in the blocks said, as the boards have to be formed tomorrow.

"In some panchayats, Trinamul is trying to induct Congress, BJP and Independents whereas in some cases, the Left is attempting to win Independents over," a Congress leader in Naxalbari block said.

According to him, as the Left has secured two-third majority in the Siliguri Mahakuma Parishad and has bagged two of the four panchayat samitis, Trinamul is desperate to secure the other two panchayat samitis and most of the panchayats.

Sankar Malakar, the Darjeeling district Congress president, said they would seek support from elected members of all other parties in some of the panchayats where they are in better position. "In panchayats where we are slightly short of the magic figure, we will seek support from all the remaining elected members," Malakar said. "There can be some local level informal adjustments, which is common in gram panchayats. We are not aware of the details."

Congress insiders said the party was focusing on four hung panchayats, where it can form the board in alliance with Left and independents.

"There is no question of seeking support from Trinamul. We have more seats than the Left in some panchayats and intend to form boards in these panchayats," a senior Congress leader said.

The party, he said, has already experienced post-poll poaching by Trinamul as two of its elected members in Matigara-II panchayat have been inducted into the ruling party.

As the Left and Congress "protect" their members from Trinamul and also continue negotiations with Independents to win most of the 22 panchayats, negotiations on Trinamul's side have suffered a setback.

"Most of the senior district leaders, who had toiled hard at the rural polls and managed to secure win of our party's candidates in some seats at all three tiers, have turned idle after the state leaders' decision to change the district president," a district Trinamul leader said on condition of anonymity. "Some of them were aspirants for the post and have been deeply disappointed at Ranjan Sarkar's selection."