Victory hopes high, political parties rev up preparations

SANKHA GHOSE, SNS, SILIGURI, 26 MAY  2022: After announcement that the three-tier rural elections in the Siliguri Sub Division will be held on 26 June, political parties here have revved up their preparations for the elections. 

Eyeing victory in the all- important elections that has been due for the past two years, political parties had already started working hard a few months ago. The last such panchayat elections were held in October 2015. 

The panchayat set up Siliguri Mahakuma Parishad (SMP) top tier, four panchayat samitis (middle tier) and 22 grant panchayats (lower tier) is spread across the four blocks of Matigara, Kharibari, Naxalbari and Phansidewa. 

Two Assembly constituencies of Matigara-Naxalbari and Phansidewa fall within this area. 

BJP had secured victory in both those two segments in the Assembly elections last year. The SMP has nine seats, 66 in the panchayat samitis and 462 in gram panchayats. 

After the formation of the Darjeeling Gorkha Autonomous Hill Council (DGAHC) in 1988, the Darjeeling Zilla Parishad was abolished and a two-tier panchayat system came into place in the Hills. 

The SMP was created in 1989 on the lines of the zilla parishad for rural areas of Siliguri subdivision falling in Darjeeling district and was kept out of the purview of the DGAHC. 

Riding on its spirited performance in the recent civic body elections in Siliguri, the ruling Trinamul Congress has targeted a maiden victory in the SMP elections this time around. The TMC has so far not won the SMP elections. 

"We are prepared for the polls. Our party has already started making preparations to secure a majority. We are hopeful of winning seats in all the three tiers. Along with the party's organizational activities, we have reached out to the people extensively with the state government's projects which have benefited the people, like Lakshmir Bhandar, schemes like Jai Johar for the betterment of ST people, Taposili Bandhu pension scheme. 

The state government has also initiated relentless development work in the rural areas. Leaders and workers of Siliguri town have actively participated because it is a team effort after all," said Darjeeling district Trinamul Congress (Plains) president Papiya Ghosh. Replicating its success in the civic body polls in 2015, the Left had defeated the Trinamul Congress in the rural polls then. 

The results were 6- 3 in the SMP. Later, the Trinamul Congress, however, captured most of the GP and panchayat samtitis "This time, the party is desperate to win the rural body polls, especially after winning the Siliguri Municipal Corporation elections for the first time in February," said a senior TMC leader. 

The Left Front, on the other hand, has appealed to the political parties to defeat the BJP and Trinamul Congress and prevent a vote split. 

The Front, which failed to forge a seat-sharing adjustment with the Congress in the SMC elections, will support them, as party leaders say the prospects of a win in the particular seats is bleak. "We have decided to contest the rural polls as Left Front. At the same time, we have appealed to the Left parties outside the Front, Congress and others to defeat BJP and Trinamul Congress and prevent division of votes," said Darjeeling district Left Front convener Jibesh Sarkar. 

Mr Sarkar said they will support the Congress where their organisation is weak or Congress candidates have prospects of winning those seats." We will expect similar move from the Congress to reciprocate this," he added. 

The saffron camp leaders, on the other hand, said they will put in all effort to win the rural bodies. 

"People have not seen any development in the rural areas in the past 11 years. The elections were pending for the past two years. With the support of the people. the BJP secured two seats in the Assembly elections. We are hopeful that this time also people will elect us in the SMP" said the president of the Siliguri (Organisational) District of the BJP and Matigara- Naxalbari MLA, Anandamay Barman.