Permanent panels a minority in MZP

Statesman News Service

MALDA, May 12: After the Malda Assembly poll verdict, the district Congress leaders turned their attention to the Malda Zilla Parishad where they are on the brink of losing power in permanent committees. After the loss of two Congress MLAs at Malda, the “configuration” of the MZP’s ex-officio members has been changed and the Congress-BJP-Trinamul-led permanent committees have been established as minority ones. The CPI-M had called a no-confidence motion against all members of the nine permanent committees of the MZP. The Congress sabhadhipati had tackled the situation tactfully and dislodged the LF sabhapati of the panchayat samiti. After winning seven seats in Malda out of 11 and two seats in adjoining Murshidabad, the Left Front has 33 members in MZP but the Congress and their partners have only 29 members. Both the CPI-M and the Congress wished to increase the number of MLAs to hold on to power in the MZP. Of the 15 heads (sabhapatis) of panchayat samitis, the Left Front now has eight members and the three parties have just seven members. Of the four MPs who are ex-officio members of the MZP, the LF has one but the Congress has none after the death of the Malda MP. Though Mr Pranab Mukherjee and Mr Priya Ranjan Das Munshi were members, they do not have voting powers as they are ministers in the Union Cabinet. The CPI-M district secretary said: “No decision has been taken to call a fresh no-confidence motion against the permanent committees.” CPI-M sources said that no plan has been chalked out against the Congress sabhadhipati of the MZP, Mr Goutam Chakraborty, whose name had been deleted from the electoral rolls a few days before the polls on the charge of submitting a false statement to include his name in the rolls.