Mahajot model in English Bazaar

Statesman News Service

MALDA, May 3: Just before the Assembly poll in Malda in the last and fifth phase on 8 May, all Opposition councillors today showcased another model of “mahajot” in English Bazaar Municipality after the Malda zilla parishad.It was learnt that all 14 Opposition councillors had cast their votes against Mr Nihar Ranjan Ghosh, the CPI-M backed Independent chairman to remove him.The High Court today announced the results of the voting, which was conducted following court orders a few days ago where government officials played the role of observers. Opposition councillors are now waiting for the next hearing Of the 25 seats, the Left Front got just 11 seats, including that of an Independent candidate in the municipal election, but due to “cross voting” the Independent candidate was elected as the chairman and the Left Front formed the board Political leaders had detected that one Congress and a Trinamul councillor had cast their votes in favour of the Left Front- nominated candidate, owing to internal squabbling. After six months, the Trinamul, BJP and Congress councillors tried to unite them and 13 councillors tried to bring a no-confidence motion against Mr Nihar Ghosh but failed because Mr Ghosh managed to get a stay order from the court.Ultimately, the court allowed the Opposition councillors to call a requisition meeting against the board on the issue of no- confidence under the supervision of the administration where all the14 Opposition councillors, including one BJP councillor, were present. No Left Front councillors were present. It was learnt that the Left Front councillors would go to court again to stall the move of the Opposition on another point to stay in power. The Malda Trinamul Congress was divided on this issue. Miss Mamata Banerjee had come to Malda in January and told all councillors to remove the Left Front-backed chairman to form a board comprising three political parties.Another objective was to test Mr Krishnendu Choudhury, who was allegedly trying to strike an alliance with the Congress, ignoring an official alliance with the BJP in Malda. But the former chairman of the English Bazaar Municipality and the then district Trinamul Congress president left the party when he found that the state leadership preferred Mr Dulal Sarkar, Trinamul councillor and presently the party’s contestant from Malda, who cast his vote in favour of the CPI-M- backed Independent chairman.Political observers said that it was difficult to guess the fate of the present board under the leadership of 14 Opposition councillors.There would be a new political equation after the results of the Assembly election is out. Mr Sarkar alleged that the Congress candidate, Mr Choudhury, hired all seven Trinamul councillors for the election campaign in his favour.