1,000 residents of Sabek Chitmahal formally join Trinamool Congress

Nearly 1,000 residents of Sabek Chitmahal in Cooch Behar on Tuesday joined Trinamool Congress.

At a function held at Subhas Corner, TMC leaders Udayan Guha, who was elected from Dinhata, and Rabindranath Ghosh and handed over party flag to the new recruits.

In Sabek Chitmahal, the Left Front had bagged more votes in the 2016 Assembly election. Soon after the election ended and the Mamata Banerjee government – sworn in on May 27 –took several measures to carry out development in the area.

Those who joined the party on Tuesday are from Saldanga, Poyatorkuthi, Korla and Balilachara, once believed to be bastions of the Left.

The new recruits said they were attracted by the all-round development schemes taken up by the state government under the leadership of the Chief Minister.

They said with the growth of the party in the area, development would take place and it would help the residents to avail various schemes which would make them economically self reliant.

However, Diptiman Sengupta of Nagarik Adhikar Samanvya Raksha Committee had said TMC had unleashed a reign of terror in the area and forced the people to join the party.

Rebutting the allegation, North Bengal Development minister Rabindranath Ghosh said that those who joined the party had carefully studied the development projects taken up by Mamata Banerjee and thought that by joining the party they would usher in development in the area.

Experts said the growth of the party in a Left bastion was significant before the Panchayat election, 

scheduled to be held in 2018.

Trinamool will have a proper organisational base in the area and this means that in future more people could join the party. It has been the picture throughout the state that Left Front is fast losing its support base and its supporters and workers are joining Trinamool as Mamata Banerjee has successfully sent the message that elections in future will be held on development. Every leader now wants to take part in the development to keep his or her base strong.