TMC to bring no-confidence motion in Bhatpara municipality on Dec 5 or 6: Min

Kolkata: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) is likely to bring a no-confidence motion in Bhatpara Municipality in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district on December 5 or 6, a senior state minister said on Friday.

The ruling party in West Bengal has claimed to have regained a majority in the civic body after 12 of its 26 councillors, who had joined the BJP after the Lok Sabha elections, rejoined it earlier this month, taking the TMC's count in the 34-member municipality to 21.

The BJP had formed the board in the municipality after winning the trust vote in June.

"We have invited the councillors, who had rejoined the TMC, for a meeting at the Assembly premises," state Food and Supplies Minister Jyotipriya Mallick said before attending it.

Apart from the turncoat councillors, six BJP members of the board are also expected to attend the meeting, TMC party sources said.

Mallick, also the TMC's North 24 Parganas district president, said the party will bring a no-confidence motion on either December 5 or 6.

Bhatpara was first of the seven municipal bodies in the state that the BJP had taken control of since the Lok Sabha elections.

TMC has wrested back control of all the other six civic bodies and claimed to have regained the majority in Bhatpara municipality.

Senior BJP leader Mukul Roy, who had played a key role in the defections, had accused the TMC of using political and administrative powers to force the councillors to rejoin it.