TMC inches towards massive victory in West Bengal civic polls

Kolkata (West Bengal, India): The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) inched towards a massive victory in the West Bengal civic elections, as it won 13 of the 107 municipalities and was leading in 40 other bodies, an SEC official said on Wednesday.

The ruling party in the state bagged Kanthi Municipality, the bastion of Leader of Opposition and Nandigram's BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari, while Hamro Party, a new entrant in hill politics, trounced TMC, GJM, and BJP to win Darjeeling Municipality.

BJP, Left Front, and the Congress are yet to win a civic body, although the parties have won a few wards in some towns.

"The TMC has already won 13 municipalities and is leading in 40 others," the State Election Commission (SEC) official said.

The party has bagged all civic bodies in Birbhum district, five in Coochbehar, two in South 24 Parganas, and one in Purba Medinipur.

Suvendu Adhikari and his family faced a massive setback as the TMC snatched Kanthi Municipality, considered the Adhikari family's backyard for the last four decades.

The LoP's father Sisir Adhikari was the municipality's chairman for 25 years from 1971-to 2009, except for five years from 1981-86. After becoming an MP, he handed over the baton to his younger son Dibyendu Adhikari.

After Dibyendu Adhikari became an MP in a by-election in 2016, his younger brother Soumendu took over the post.

Hamro Party (our party), a new outfit floated by Ajoy Edwards, a former GNLF leader and a popular restaurateur in Darjeeling, bagged the municipality in the hill town by defeating traditional powers Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, BJP, and TMC.

Elections were scheduled in 108 municipalities, but the TMC won Dinhata Municipality in Coochbehar district uncontested a few days back.

Widespread violence, rigging, and clashes with the police were reported from various parts of West Bengal from the north to the south in one of the most extensive electoral exercises in the state since the assembly polls last year.

BJP dubbed the poll process as a "mockery of democracy" and called for a 12-hour shutdown on Monday to protest the violence. The TMC rubbished the allegations as baseless and said that opposition parties are trying to find excuses sensing defeat. (PTI)