Trinamool decimates Opposition, bags 102 out of 108 civic bodies

MP | 3 March 2022 |  KOLKATA: With heavyweight Opposition leaders failing to make any impact against the all-round development carried out by the ruling party, Trinamool Congress (TMC) recorded a landslide victory in the municipal polls in Bengal. Results of 2,171 seats, spreading over 107 municipalities, were announced on Tuesday. Of these seats, TMC got 1,707 while the BJP, Left Front and Congress got 63, 51 and 58 seats respectively. TMC established its control over 102 municipalities while Left Front and Hamro Party got control over one civic body each.

In three municipalities, no party got a majority as they remained hung. These municipalities are Beldanga, Egra in East Midnapore and Champdani in Hooghly.

Elections in 108 municipalities were held on February 27. There are about 2,274 seats in 108 municipalities. TMC was elected uncontested in Dinhata Municipality and four wards in Suri Municipality in Birbhum.

Be it BJP leaders Sukanta Majumdar, Dilip Ghosh, Arjun Singh and Suvendu Adhikari or Congress' Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the key opposition leaders faced a major embarrassment in the recently-concluded civic polls as Trinamool candidates recorded victory even in their respective fiefdoms. Interestingly, the Independent candidates got 116 seats and occupied the second position. Trinamool Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee tweeted: "Heart-felt gratitude to Ma-Mati-Manush for according yet another overwhelming mandate to us.

Congratulations to the winning candidates of All India Trinamool Congress in the Municipal Elections."

She further tweeted: "Let victory enhance our responsibility and dedication. Let triumph impart humility. Let us together work for peace, prosperity and development of the state. Jai Bangla!"

When asked about the fate of the Independent candidates, Banerjee, who was leaving for Varanasi, said: "It is a small matter and there are a few cases. The state committee of Trinamool Congress will decide," she added.

For the first time, TMC got control over Baharampur Municipality in Murshidabad. The party also freed the Contai Municipality from the clutches of the 'Adhikaris.' Suvendu Adhikari's candidate Sumita Singh, BJP MLA from North Contai, was defeated by her nearest Trinamool rival in ward 6. Tanushree Chakraborty Bhattacharya won in ward 15, the area where the residence of the Adhikaris, namely Shantikunja is located. Trinamool won the Kharagpur municipality with an overwhelming majority.

In Barrackpore — the constituency of BJP MP Arjun Singh — the BJP failed to open an account in about 8 civic bodies starting from Kanchrapara to Titagarh.

The election once again exposed the organisational weakness of the BJP, Left Front and Congress. They have collectively got 172 seats against Trinamool Congress' victory in 1,707. Political experts said the BJP's organisation collapsed like a pack of cards since the party lost to TMC in the 2021 Assembly election.

The national leaders of BJP, who had said the party would get more than 200 seats, did not return to the state after the poll debacle. The party had managed to get only 77 seats. As the national leaders did not turn up, the morale of the party's rank and file had reached a rock bottom level. The infighting in the party had surfaced during the municipal elections and the lack of coordination among the state leaders became quite palpable.

The party leaders, instead of organising the rank and file, were busy with making press statements and to staff the election. Trinamool Congress' USP was organisational strength and initiatives like Duare Sarkar, Swasthya Sathi among other pro-people schemes.

The national general-secretary of the party Abhishek Banerjee had the names of party workers up to the booth level and regular meetings were held with them. As a result, the party leadership got the updates. Political experts maintained that the CPI(M) used to run their organisation with the help of police and the party collapsed when the cops crossed the floor and started backing Mamata Banerjee. Trinamool Congress organised its workers and this paid dividends to the party in every election, they added.