Over 95% candidates of Trinamool are new faces

Kolkata: More than 95 per cent of the candidates fielded by Trinamool Congress (TMC) for the Gram Panchayat and Panchayat Samiti are new faces.

Trinamool national general secretary Abhisehk Banerjee during Trinamool-e Nabajowar mass outreach campaign urged the district leaders to bring new faces for the forthcoming Panchayat elections.

Banerjee always emphasised inducting new faces who have a clean image in the locality. One of the purposes of Jana Sanjog Yatra and Trinamool-e Nabajowar was to select candidates for the Panchayat polls. People’s vote was given top priority in the selection of candidates. The process was carried out through secret ballots.

People have given their choices as to whom they like to see as candidates in the Panchayat elections. The ruling party in the state also fielded new faces during the last civic bodies elections.

Sources within the party said that a section of senior Panchayat officials in the three-tier Panchayat Raj system was kept out of the election process.

The party will also keep a tab on the new faces if they win elections and hold important portfolios. Banerjee on repeated occasions in the past emphasised on a more transparent system. No major changes, however, happened in Zilla Parishad seats.

In this case, block presidents and MLAs sent the list of candidates. District presidents also submitted a list of candidates.

Party leaders discussed the lists. MLAs and block presidents also informed the party as to why a section of old members was not recommended. The process was followed in the case of the selection of candidates in Panchayat Samiti.

In another development, the Trinamool Congress has sent out a strong message to the districts saying that Trinamool Congress leaders who have filed for nomination as Independent candidates after being denied tickets by the party should have withdrawn their candidature by Tuesday otherwise the party’s door would be shut for them. Stringent steps will be taken against these candidates. Even if someone wins as an Independent, he/she will never be inducted into the party again.

Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee on Saturday made her party’s stand clear on those party leaders who are contesting the forthcoming Panchayat elections as Independent candidates after being denied ticket by the Trinamool. Banerjee’s message to the top leaders has been clear as the party’s doors will be closed for these Independent candidates and they will never be inducted into the party.

If there are any resentments among these Independent candidates after being denied a ticket by TMC, the senior leaders of the party will listen to their grievances. But if they go on to contest, they will never be brought into the party fold under any circumstances.