TMC wins tea garden seats... uncontested in 14 panchayat seats

ANIRBAN CHOUDHURY, TT, Apr 11, 2018, Alipurduar: Trinamul has won uncontested 14 panchayat seats in two tea gardens of the Duncans Goenka Group and a panchayat samiti seat in the Madarihat block.

The seats are under the Madarihat Assembly constituency which is represented by Manoj Tigga of the BJP.

According to the data available with the administration, out of 999 panchayat seats in Alipurduar district, Trinamul has won 30 seats uncontested in panchayats and out of 188 panchayat samiti seats, the party has bagged three seats.

Among these 30 seats in panchayat, 14 are in Huntapara and Lankapara panchayats, named after the gardens which are owned by Duncans.

"In both these panchayats, there are 14 seats. In Lankapara, Trinamul has won eight seats uncontested and a seat in the panchayat samiti. In Huntapara, Trinamul has won six panchayat seats as there was no other candidate," said a source.

These are the only two gardens of the Duncans which are still closed. There are five other gardens in the same block which belong to the group. These five have reopened in the past three months, courtesy the initiative taken by the state and district Trinamul leaders.

"In the Assembly polls in 2016, the BJP had got overwhelming support from these tea gardens, which helped Manoj Tigga win the seat. It is a significant trend and might turn out to be an indicator that the gardens of Duncans are slowly slipping out of the BJP's hands. It simultaneously proves that Trinamul is steadily making inroads into the tea belt of Madarihat block," said an observer.