Civic polls: After Sainthia & Budge Budge, TMC wins Dinhata Municipality uncontested

KOLKATA: A day after Trinamool Congress (TMC) got a walkover from the opposition in Budge Budge and Sainthia municipalities, the ruling party has won Dinhata Municipality uncontested on Thursday. Election in 108 municipalities will be held on February 27. The total number of voters will be around 95.59 lakh. There will be about 10, 813 polling stations.

In Dinhata, Trinamool won wards 1,3,9,12, 13, 15 and 16 uncontested on Wednesday. Out of 16 wards of Dinhata Municipality, Left Front could field candidates in only 4 wards, including wards 2,5,7 and 14. However, the Left Front candidates did not turn up during the security session on Thursday. Thus, Trinamool got control over 11 wards and won the civic board uncontested.

On Wednesday, Trinamool won Budge Budge Municipality in South 24-Parganas and Sainthia Municipality in Birbhum uncontested. BJP demanded that the election in the municipalities, where Trinamool had won uncontested, should be scrapped and fresh election be held. BJP leaders alleged that the party candidates could not turn up due to the reign of terror unleashed by Trinamool.

Refuting the allegations, Kunal Ghosh, state secretary of TMC, said the opposition parties that were making noise deliberately to cover up their organisational weakness.

There are more than 10,000 polling stations and the political parties need around 25,000 people to man them. They will have to deploy polling agents inside the booths and workers to man the camp offices. Except Trinamool Congress, no political party in the state has such extensive manpower, he said.

"The opposition parties do not have enough candidates and so they are doing drama to woo the people. People are with Trinamool and support the pro-people steps taken by Mamata Banerjee. They will continue to support her to carry out all-round development in the state," he added.