Congress depletion continues as 5 more leaders join TMC

WBPCC president Adhir Chowdhury on Thursday received a major shock after five party leaders including one MLA and four Zilla Parishad members in Murshidabad joined Trinamool Congress.

Trinamool Congress is just two seats away from getting control over Murshidabad Zilla Parishad. The magic figure is 35 and Trinamool’s number rose to 33 after four Congress leaders joined the party on Thursday afternoon.

The Congress MLA from Rezinagar, Rabiul Islam joined Trinamool. He had expressed his willingness to join Trinamool some months ago. It may be mentioned that Congress MLA from Bishnupur, Tushar Kanti Bhattacharya had already joined the party. Trinamool has also established its control over Malda Zilla Parishad.

Though the party could not open its account in Malda in the Assembly election when two ministers Sabitri Mitra and Krishnendu Narayan Chowdhury lost the polls, Congress leaders began joining Trinamool after Mamata Banerjee government took the oath in office on May 27.

The joining of Congress leaders to Trinamool has proved beyond doubt that Adhir Chowdhury’s fortress in Murshidabad is crumbling down.

Chowdhury used to consider Murshidabad his fiefdom and had remained successful in keeping Trinamool Congress at bay in the district. Trinamool Congress got four seats in the Assembly election and took control over three municipalities, namely, Azimgunj- Jiagunj, Jangipur and Beldanga in the past one month.

Commenting on Islam’s joining Trinamool Congress he said winning in Rejinagar seat in 2016 Assembly election was very tough. “Islam hails from a Congress family. He joined Trinamool after he received Rs 5 crores. He succumbed to monetary pressure,” he alleged.

Trinamool’s success in Murshidabad and Malda came after party chief Mamata Banerjee made Suvendu Adhikari, the state transport minister in charge of these two districts. Adhikari got in touch with the leaders after the new government sworn in.

Rubbishing Chowdhury’s allegation he said that in near future Chowdhury’s control over the district would be a matter of the past.

“Why should we pay money to them?” he asked adding “It is Mamata Banerjee’s development schemes that have attracted Congress MLAs. Everyone wants to be a part of the development movement that has started in West Bengal,” he said.

Political experts said as senior Congress leaders were busy in mud-slinging there was massive erosion of party base all over the state. Murshidabad and Malda are two districts where Congress has control. “But the trend shows that within a short time the party would lose its control unless 

the leaders  take programmes to woo youth.”