Defections rock Malatipur Gram Panchayat, TMC eyes Board control

Malda: The Malatipur Assembly segment here witnessed a major political churn on Tuesday as the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) engineered a significant breakaway, dealing a blow to both the Congress and the BJP at the grassroots level.

Five members of the Malatipur Gram Panchayat—four from the Congress and one from the BJP—formally joined the TMC in the presence of Malatipur MLA and Malda district TMC president Abdur Rahim Boxi. The induction is being seen as a strategic move that could soon alter the power balance in the panchayat.

Notably, despite Malatipur being considered a stronghold of Boxi, the Opposition had managed to form the board in the last Panchayat elections by uniting against the TMC. Of the 28 seats in the Malatipur Gram Panchayat, the TMC had won 11, while the Congress secured nine seats, the CPI(M) five and the BJP three.

Boxi said: “People are joining Trinamool because they trust our development-oriented politics and the leadership of Mamata Banerjee. Those who have come today have realised that only Trinamool can ensure stability and progress at the grassroots.”

He added: “Very soon, Malatipur Gram Panchayat will have a Trinamool board that works solely for the welfare of the people.”

The district Congress leadership claimed that defections would not help the TMC win public confidence.

“The people of Malda will give a fitting reply in the next election,” a Congress leader said. With the latest developments, the formation of a TMC board in Malatipur Gram Panchayat now appears imminent.