‘Will repay people’s support with transformative development work’

Kolkata: After a victory with over seven lakh vote margin Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary and Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha seat’s MP-elect Abhishek Banerjee is learnt to have met the electorates of his Constituency on Friday.

Taking to his social media handle, Banerjee said: “On June 4, however, Bengal and the country witnessed a new dawn. This Gorjon of the Jonogon will be etched in golden letters in history.”

“I humbly bow to the Gonodebota of Diamond Harbour. Your support and prayers have bound me in a debt of love – a debt I vow to repay with transformative development. Heartiest greetings and congratulations to the people of the country, the people of Bengal, and above all, my colleagues and co-workers in the Trinamool Congress. You are the backbone of this victory,” he added.

Sources said Abhishek met the electorates of his Constituency on Friday evening at MP office at Amtala. The MLAs of the seven Assembly seats under the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha seat, along with municipal and Panchayat workers were present there. During his campaign in his Constituency, Abhishek had promised he would return and meet the electorates who made him win with a record vote margin in the history of elections in Bengal.

Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, he had held several meetings with his party workers where he had briefed them on how the campaigns should be executed. South 24-Parganas is anyway considered a fort of the TMC. Observers said that Abhishek’s ‘Diamond Harbour Model’ was one of the reasons for his recent electoral success.

This apart, his decision to produce performance report cards has been a hit among the electorates. Banerjee had said that the amount of work done in Diamond Harbour is “unmatchable” compared to any other Lok Sabha seat in the country. The Diamond Harbour Constituency boasts of a modern water distribution system at Maheshtala, Pujali and Budge Budge municipalities with an investment of Rs 328.11 crore. The Palta- Mathurapur water project costing Rs 1332.41 crore is considered one of the largest in the country. Initiatives such as the Dongaria water project at a cost of Rs 564 crore and the establishment of a water booster pump at Metiaburj at Rs 32 crore were also undertaken to provide clean drinking water.

The number of beneficiaries of Lakshmir Bhandar social scheme at Diamond Harbour is over 5.53 lakh while over 66000 individuals in the constituency received Rs 30.62 crore as payment of 100 days work from the state government after the Centre halted NREGA funds for Bengal. Recently, Abhishek is learnt to have asked his party members to either work for the people or quit their posts ahead of the upcoming state elections.