News Analysis India

Tag: Bengal civic polls

  • Bengal civic polls: Mamata Banerjee thanks people for massive TMC victory; urges winners to work with humility

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday thanked the people of West Bengal for giving a massive mandate to the ruling Trinamool Congress in the civic elections, and called upon winning candidates and supporters to work with humility.

    TMC scored a landslide victory, winning 93 of the 107 municipalities that went to polls on February 27.

    “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 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,” she said in another Twitter post.

  • CPM submits deputation to Bengal poll panel alleging violence, electoral malpractices in civic polls

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: The Left Front on Monday held a protest meeting in front of the State Election Commission here alleging violence and electoral malpractices against the ruling Trinamool Congress and submitted a deputation to the commissioner.

    Left Front chairman Biman Bose claimed that the attempts were being made by the ruling party to destroy the democratic fabric in the state.

    “People have to raise their voice against the attempts of Trinamool Congress to murder democracy,” Bose told reporters before submission of the deputation to the state election commissioner.

    He said that protests were held throughout the state against acts of violence and electoral malpractices during Sunday’s elections to 107 municipalities.

    CPI(M) state secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra, who was part of the delegation which gave the deputation to the commissioner, claimed that no action was taken against most of those who were seen to be involved in false voting and acts of intimidation.

  • Civic polls: Trinamool on course for big win in four municipal corporations in Bengal

    By PTI

    KOLKATA; The Trinamool Congress on Monday was ahead in all the four municipal corporations in West Bengal where polls were held on February 12, as per data available on the State Election Commission’s website.

    In Bidhannagar, the TMC won 24 of the 41 seats and was ahead in 10, while the Congress won in one ward, according to the SEC website at 11 am.

    The ruling party clinched 10 of the 47 seats in Siliguri and was leading in three wards, and both the BJP and the CPI(M) have won two seats each.

    #WATCH | TMC workers celebrate in North 24 Parganas as the party sweeps the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation election. #WestBengalCivicPolls pic.twitter.com/aZxFkd6PFB
    — ANI (@ANI) February 14, 2022
    In Chandannagar, the TMC bagged 12 out of 32 seats and was ahead in nine, while the CPI(M) won in one ward.

    The TMC pocketed 28 of 106 seats in Asansol and was leading in seven wards, the data showed, adding, the BJP emerged triumphant in three wards and the CPI(M) in two.

    Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee thanked people for her party’s “thumping win” in the civic polls, calling it a victory of the masses.

  • BJP demands countermanding of polls in 3 Bengal civic bodies which TMC won sans contest

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: The BJP on Thursday urged the State Election Commission to countermand elections to three municipalities in West Bengal which the ruling Trinamool Congress won without any contest.

    The TMC was declared winner in Sainthia and Budge Budge municipalities on Wednesday, and in Dinhata on Thursday.

    Elections to 108 municipalities in the state are scheduled to be held on February 27.

    Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari told reporters after meeting senior SEC officials that the BJP wants the polls to the three civic bodies be countermanded due to “intimidation and threat to BJP candidates, and acts of physically preventing them from filing nomination papers”.

    “We have told SEC Sourav Das and commission secretary N Shandilya that what happened in the three civic bodies was nothing short of mockery of democracy. If the ruling party can hold up the municipal elections for about two years, why can’t elections be deferred in these three civic bodies by another six months?” he said.

    Adhikari said the BJP will launch an agitation if the demand was not met.

    The BJP leader also demanded the deployment of central armed paramilitary forces in elections to four municipal corporations of Bidhannagar, Siliguri, Chandernagore and Asansol on February 12.

    “The MHA will despatch consignments of central forces in a 24-hour notice. Let the SEC being an autonomous body take a decision to ensure free and fair polls. Let the central forces be also deployed in the February 27 polls in 108 municipalities,” he said.

    The TMC won 13 of the 16 wards of Sainthia municipality, 12 of the 20 wards in Budge Budge, and 13 of the 16 wards in Sainthia uncontested.

    Reacting to Adhikari’s demand, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said, “Who is Suvendu Adhikari to ask for countermanding the municipal polls? Does he expect the SEC to dance to his tunes?” Dinhata’s TMC MLA Udayan Guha denied the BJP allegations.

    “It is the BJP which had unleashed a reign of terror in Coochbehar during the last assembly and Lok Sabha elections. But now people are turning against them. The BJP is not finding people to contest in Dinhata, and the Congress and CPI(M) have long been decimated,” he said.

  • Youth push in ruling Trinamool ahead of Bengal civic body polls

    Express News Service

    KOLKATA:  With the elevation of Abhishek Banerjee as the Trinamool Congress national general secretary, the party has decided to induct young faces ahead of the civic polls in West Bengal.

    Amid speculations that 34-year-old Abhishek is going to be the party’s flag bearer in the future, the TMC high-command has decided not to field aged and those suffering from ailments in the civic polls.

    The party has approved the suggestion of fielding young candidates by election strategist Prashant Kishor’s team IPAC, which played a key role in Mamata’s thumping victory in the recent Assembly polls. 

    “It is almost clear that Abhishek is going to be Mamata Banerjee’s successor. Kishor’s team has suggested to give young blood first priority. We have been asked to field hardworking and young faces in the municipal elections. These foot soldiers will turn into prominent faces in politics in coming days,” said a TMC leader. 

    The TMC in June hinted elevation of young workers by appointing actor Saayoni Ghosh as the president of the party’s youth wing. 

  • Poor cash supply, upset party workers: Bengal BJP burnt out ahead of civic polls

    By Express News Service

    KOLKATA:  Murmurs of a cash squeeze in West Bengal BJP following hesitation from Delhi in allocating funds has upset and kindled disinterest among party leaders in the state in contesting the civic polls. The saffron camp’s poor show in the recent Assembly polls and subsequent by-elections is the reason.

    Voting to the Kolkata and Howrah municipal corporations are scheduled to be held on December 19 and polls to around 110 other civic bodies are likely to be held next year for which the BJP needs 4,000 odd candidates to contest.

    Senior BJP leaders admitted that if the party couldn’t put up candidates in all the seats in the upcoming civic polls, it would be another face loss after the debacle in the Assembly polls.

    Before the Assembly elections, application drop boxes were kept at the BJP’s two offices in Kolkata as thousands of aspiring party workers were queuing up seeking the nomination. 

    “But this time the picture is completely opposite. Behind the lack of interest, one of the main reason is cash crunch with the party’s state unit after the massive show before Assembly polls.

    It has been unofficially conveyed that party’s central unit will not be funding poll campaigning. The cost in several wards in central Kolkata, where we have a strong base of non-Bengali electorates, will be around half crore. Who will spend that kind of money?” asked a BJP leader.

    The ruling Trinamool Congress’s probable candidates are already in campaign mode in Kolkata and Howrah.

    “The TMC is much ahead of us in terms of poll preparedness,” said the leader.

    The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Monday asked its supporters to abide by its selection of candidates for the upcoming Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) election and called upon everyone to work together to ensure the victory of the party candidates.

    KMC and Howrah Municipal Corporation are likely to go to the polls on December 19.

    “It is quite natural for local leaders to have an aspiration to contest KMC polls. But everyone has to abide by the party’s decision. Everybody has to work together to ensure the victory of party candidates,” TMC secretary-general Partha Chatterjee said.

    According to TMC sources, the party has conducted a survey with the help of Prashant Kishor’s I-PAC team to avoid a repeat of a 2018 panchayat poll-like situation, when large scale violence during filing of nominations and infighting was witnessed across West Bengal.

    Based on the report, candidates for the civic polls will be selected and strategies formulated.

    “The survey has stressed on the performance of the sitting councilors, and Lok Sabha and assembly elections’ results in different wards. Feedback from the locals would play an important role in the selection of candidates for the KMC polls,” a senior TMC leader said.

    The elections to 144-member KMC, along with 112 municipalities and municipal corporations, were due in April-May 2020.

    However, the polls were postponed due to the raging COVID-19 pandemic.

    The state government has decided to first conduct the elections to KMC and Howrah Municipal Corporation in December.

    These civic bodies are now being run by a state-appointed Board of Administrators.

    (With PTI Inputs)

  • BJP demands simultaneous municipality and municipal corporation polls in West Bengal in February

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: BJP on Tuesday demanded simultaneous election to municipalities and municipal corporations in West Bengal in February and deployment of central forces for it. State BJP vice-president Pratap Banerjee told reporters that the party has filed a petition in the court with this demand and a plea to the judiciary to intervene.

    “We have serious apprehension that if the civic bodies election is held under the supervision of state police and administration it will not be free and fair. Everyone remembers the 2018 panchayat poll when a large number of people could not cast their votes and opposition candidates were beaten up and threatened by the Trinamool Congress. We do not want a rerun of it”, he said.

    Banerjee said that in the past 10 years under TMC rule only in 2011 the municipal election was held in a free and fair manner. Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumder too demanded that election in municipalities and municipal corporations be held together.

    “Don’t understand why the state is intent on holding these polls separately. This (TMC) government has stalled these polls for a long time and appointed administrators from its own camp depriving lakhs of voters the opportunity to vote,” he said.

    West Bengal Minister of State for Municipal Affairs and Urban Development Chandrima Bhattacharya had said that last week that talks are on to with State Election Commission to hold the Municipal and corporation polls in the coming days.

    There were reports that the state government recommended to the SEC for holding polls in Kolkata, Howrah and Bidhannagar municipal corporations on December 19 and in all municipalities of the state in January-February.

    Election to 112 municipalities and five municipal corporations are overdue in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.