TMC forms board in Kultali after 15 CPI(M) members join party

This comes as a major success for Trinamool Congress as Kultali was the only Assembly constituency where CPI(M) had managed to win in the Assembly elections in South 24 Parganas. Thus, with the joining of all the 15 CPI(M) members in Trinamool Congress, the CPI(M) is left with no one to represent in Kultali Panchayat Samity.

This comes a day after 10 members of Murshidabad Zila Parishad of Congress and Left Front had joined Trinamool Congress on Friday. On Saturday, the 15 members led by the sabhadipati Shyam Naiya joined the party at Trinamool Bhavan in the presence of the party’s district present Sovan Chatterjee, MP Pratima Mondal, MLA Saukat Mollah, INTTUC leader Shakti Mondal and Zilla Parishad karmadhakshya Abu Taher.

In 2013 Panchayat election, CPI(M) had bagged 15 seats out of 27 of the panchayat samity and formed its board. Trinamool Congress had won in only 2 seats. On Saturday with the joining of 15 members, Trinamool Congress’ strength has gone up to 17 allowing them to form the board.

Chatterjee said: “None of the 15 members were asked or forced to join Trinamool Congress. All of them had witnessed the development that took place across the state in the past five years under the guidance of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and it has inspired them to join the party. So that they can also work for the common people and bring an overall development in their respective areas.”

He said that they all had written to the party expressing their wish to join Trinamool Congress and the party had decided to give them permission to join. “Thus, there is no question of putting pressure on them to join Trinamool Congress,” he said.

Kultali Assembly constituency had always been under the control of SUCI. Since 1977, SUCI had won in all the Assembly elections in the seat till 2006. In 2011, CPI(M) for the first time won from the seat and in 2016 again CPI(M)’s Ramsankar Halder had managed to retain the seat.

With the panchayat samiti going out of the hand of CPI(M), the party has lost its ground in the area making a way for Trinamool Congress to increase its vote share in all elections in future.