Chairman selection divides Cong

Statesman News Service

MALDA, 3 JUNE: Although the Congress with 10 seats and Trinamul with four seats are expected to ally to form board in the 25-member English Bazaar Municipality, the elected councillors are apparently divided on the issue of chairman selection.

In addition to the four Trinamul councillors, the Congress councillors too seem reluctant to accept Mr Krishnendu Choudhury as the EBM chairman.

At least three Congress councilors and the four Trinamul councilors – Mr Dulal Sarkar , his wife Mrs Chaitali Ghosh, Ms Sumala Agarwal and Mr Barun Sardar have already expressed strong reservation against Mr Krishnendy Choudhury’s candidature to the chairman post.

Mr Sarkar, who had campaigned against Mr Choudhury , before the civic polls had a verbal exchange with Mr Choudhury  at the counting venue. Ms Sumala Agarwal had also challenged Mr Choudhury and ‘invited’ him at the counting venue to see how she defeated the Congress candidate fielded against her.

Ms Agarwal alleged: “Mr Choudhury not only fielded an outgoing Trinamul councillor on a Congress ticket against me but had also used unwanted language against me during campaigning”.

“The district Congress president, Mr AH Khan Choudhury, who is in Delhi would take the final decision on the matter. The MP has told the media that I would be the chairman. I was the chairman of the EBM earlier and have lot of experience”, Mr Krishnendu Choudhury claimed in defence.

He further said: “Trinamul councillors may express no-confidence against me but Ms Mamata Banerjee should formulate a policy not only for English Bazaar but across the state where the Trinamul would have to depend on the Congress to keep the Left out of the board”.

According to the Trinamul district president, Mr Gautam Chakraborty, specific instruction to adjust with the Congress councillors has not reached them yet. 

CPM wrests Malda

Left finds solace in places north

Statesman News Service

MALDA, 2 JUNE: The Left Front (CPI-M ~ 10 and RSP ~ 2) has won the Old Malda Municipality against all speculation comfortably beating the Congress, but the English Bazaar Municipality in the district has turned up a tricky situation for both the Congress and the Trinamul.

Of the 25 seats the Congress has bagged 10 seats and the Trinamul four. The Left Front could manage only eight seats with the BJP completing the tally with three seats. Under the circumstances, the Congress and Trinamul leaderships are contemplating forming board collectively in the EBM, but would have to wait till the nod comes from the top.“We shall have to wait for instructions from Miss Mamata Banerjee before extending support to the Congress in the EBM. The theory, however, can be applied as it was done to form the Malda Zilla Parishad or the previous EBM board. Miss Banerjee would, however, take the final call on the matter,” said a Trinamul state committee leader Mr Dula Sarkar.

The Congress local leadership is also awaiting instructions from the top on the matter. “The party state leadership would decided whether we would seek support from the Trinamul or not. But, the Congress would contest in the EBM chairman election and appeal for support on the issue as well,” said Mr Debapriya Saha, English Bazaar Town Congress president.

The Congress is somewhat glum at Old Malda after losing out to the Left Front in the 18-ward municipality. “We have to accept the people's mandate. The CPI-M has got the majority of seats for rendering service to the people in the past five years they controlled the civic body. We shall extend cooperation to the CPI-M board in development works and protest against unethical activities if any in the Old Malda Municipality,” said the Old Malda Town Congress president, Mr Bibhuti Bhushan Ghosh.

Claiming that their expectation at Old Malda was met, the LF district convener and CPI-M district secretary Mr Jiban Moitra admitted that they had failed to reach out to the people at English Bazaar. “We have to overcome it in future,” he stated. In Jalpaiguri out of the total 25wards Congress bagged 16, Trinamul managed 1 with CPI-M capturing 7 and  RSP- 1 seat. In Cooch Behar out of 20 wards Congress captured 8, CPI-M got 4, Forward Bloc manged 5 and Trinamul captured 3. In Dinhata (Cooch Behar) out of 15 wards Forward Bloc got 9, CPI-M got 4 and Trinamul managed 2 seats. In Mathabhanga municipality (Cooch Behar) out of 12 wards Trinamul and  CPI-M both managed to capture 6 seats each. In Tufanganj (Cooch Behar) out of the 12wards CPI-M managed 8 seats and  Trinamul got 4seats.