KOLKATA: For the first time in the past three-and-a-half decades, Contai Municipality has become free from the clutches of the Adhikari family.
Out of 21 wards, Trinamool Congress (TMC) has won 18 wards, while the BJP bagged 2 wards and others got 1. Reacting sharply, Partha Chattopadhyay, TMC national vice-president, said: "Contai Municipality was under Trinamool Congress and the Adhikari family as members of the party used to run it. People have realised that only Trinamool can ensure all-round development and are coming back to the
original fold."
Sisir Adhikary was once the undisputed Congress leader and the chairman of the Municipality during the Left Front regime.
Suvendu Adhikari remained the chairman of the Board from 2005 to 2009 after Sisir Adhikari became an MLA.
When TMC set up the Municipal Board in 2015, Suvendu's brother Soumendu became the chairman and his wife a councillor. When Soumendu joined BJP, the municipality went under the control of an administrator.
BJP did not give ticket to any member of Adhikari family in the 2022 Municipal elections. Although the Adhikaris failed to get a ticket, requests made by Sisir Adhikari to a Trinamool Congress candidate to vote for Suvendu went viral a day before the election on February 27.
Campaign by Suvendu Adhikari in favour of party's nominee Sumita Singh, MLA from North Contai, failed to have any impact.
Singh lost to her TMC rival in ward 6. Tanushree Chakraborty Bhattacharya has won from ward 15, the area where the house of the Adhikaris—Shantikunja—is located.
Suprakash Giri, son of state Fisheries minister Akhil Giri, has been elected from
ward 13.
After retaining the Municipality, Akhil Giri said: "It was the victory for Ma, Mati and Manus, who wanted to bring the civic body from the clutches of the Adhikaris."