Ghosh Says Civic Polls Will Mirror Assembly Verdict

Kolkata, October 24: West Bengal Minister Dilip Ghosh has said the BJP is set to win the upcoming municipal corporation elections in Kolkata and Howrah by a large margin, mirroring its performance in the state assembly polls earlier this year.

Speaking on Saturday, Ghosh said the civic elections, expected in the final weeks of November or the first week of December, would produce results similar to the assembly verdict.

The minister claimed the Trinamool Congress had only engaged in plunder during its time in power and that the public would not give it another chance. He also asserted that the Left Front would fail to stage a revival.

Ghosh said the people of Bengal take their decisions thoughtfully and that big statements by political parties carry little weight with them.

The minister reserved some sharp words for the Left, describing it as disillusioned and out of step with the state's politics. Asked about the recent damage to Left Front book stalls set up during Durga Puja, he said the issue was not worth pursuing. He questioned who still reads Left books, saying their era had ended and that only despondent people read them.

He noted that the Left had drawn a blank in the 2021 assembly polls and now had one seat. Ghosh told its supporters to be content with that and said the people had driven the Left out of contention more than 15 years ago.

According to Ghosh, the people of West Bengal want clean governance, which he said only the BJP could provide.

On the 20 MPs who left the Trinamool Congress and aligned with the NDA, Ghosh said they appeared unsure of their own course. He said the party they had come from had no ideology and was no longer functioning.

Finally, addressing the tragedy at the Chorbagan Sarvajanin Durga Puja pandal, where 19 people died in a stampede, Ghosh said the state government was active on the matter and an investigation was underway. He added that the Chief Minister was personally monitoring the case.