TMC eyes rural bodies in Siliguri

TT, Siliguri, Oct. 10: The Trinamul Congress today inducted members of a panchayat from other parties as the ruling party sought to capture more rural bodies in the Siliguri subdivision.

Four members from the Congress, two from the CPM and an Independent of Phansidewa panchayat joined Trinamul in the presence of minister Gautam Deb here.

"As of now, we have majority in 13 of 22 panchayats in Siliguri subdivision. As we can bring no-trust motions at the rural bodies only after the boards cross a period of two-and-a-half years, we will wait for another six months. Also, we have majority in Naxalbari and Phansidewa panchayat samitis as most of the members are with us,"Deb said.

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In rural Siliguri, there are four blocks with 22 panchayats and four panchayat samitis, apart from the Siliguri Mahakuma Parishad. In the 2015 polls, the Left Front had bagged all the four panchayat samitis, a dozen panchayats and the SMP.

As Trinamul had suffered a setback, it went on poaching members of other parties so that it could gain control over the panchayats and panchayat samitis. In the past two years, the ruling party could get many elected leaders on board.

"We want to secure majority at all panchayats, panchayat samitis and Siliguri Mahakuma Parishad. That is why we have been working in the rural belt and getting elected representatives of other parties, particularly at the two lower tiers (panchayats and panchayat samitis) to our party," said a Trinamul insider.

Asked whether Trinamul would be able to establish control over the SMP, the minister said: "After six months, we hope people would be able to see a massive change in the rural bodies."

Deb said the BJP had lost its relevance in the hills with the split in the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha. "The BJP has lost its political relevance in the hills. It had hardly any support base and was banking on the Morcha. But now, we have serious doubts whether majority of Morcha supporters and leaders support the BJP at all," he said.

Asked about Trinamul's further moves in the hills, the minister said the party would take measured treads.