Congress lures Trinamul councillors

Congress-Trinamul alliance shattered in Malda 

Statesman News Service

MALDA, 29 APRIL: The Congress in Malda has poached on the Trinamul’s turf vis-à-vis the English Bazaar civil poll. The Congress has grabbed four of Trinamul’s eight outgoing councilors in the EBM and turned them against Miss Mamata Banerjee’s organisation. The four would now contest against the Trinamul on Congress tickets.

While the English Bazaar Congress MLA Mr Krishnendu Choudhury confirmed the development, the Trinamul leadership in Malda claimed they had not nominated the specific four councilors because of their alleged links with the Congress. “Their activities were questionable and so we did not nominate them”, claimed the Trinamul district president Mr Goutam Chakraborty.

According to him, the Trinamul has nominated only four of its sitting councillors in EBM. “The four names in question were more associated with the Congress than our organization in the past five years. We had kept them under observation and finally decided against re-nominating them”, the Trinamul district president said.

The Congress has its explanation ready. “We decided to give tickets to the four outgoing Trinamul councillors on the recommendation of the ward committee members and local residents”, claimed the English Bazaar Congress MLA Mr Krishnendu Choudhury.  

Congress-Trinamul alliance shattered in Malda

Statesman News Service

MALDA, 30 APRIL: Ignoring the Trinamul, the Congress in Malda today filed nomination for all 18 seats on offer in the Old Malda municipal elections. Reacting to the Congress’s act, the Trinamul leadership claimed they would reciprocate on 3 May.

“It is nothing surprising. We knew the Congress would not adjust with the Trinamul in Old Malda”, alleged Trinamul leaders Mr Dulal Sarkar. “ In reality, there is no alliance in Malda and so, we too are preparing to file nominations for all Old Malda and English Bazaar Municipality wards on 3 May”, Mr Sarkar said.

Adding fuel to fire, sitting Trinamul Congress councillor Mr Surajit Das today filed nomination on behalf of the Congress for ward no 2 of English Bazaar. The Trinamul has nominated Miss Sumala Agarwal from the ward.

“The question of seat adjustment does not arise after this development. We too would file nomination for all seats of OMM and the EBM and they await the Congress leadership’s reaction”, said the Trinamul Congress district president Mr Goutam Chakraborty.

Responding to the Trinamul leader’s statement, the English Bazaar Congress MLA Mr Krishnendu Choudhury , who is expected to contest the municipal elections too form ward number 10 of the EBM said: “ All options are still open. If the Trinamul leadership speaks to us with a positive proposal, we might rethink our plan”, Mr Choudhury said.