Trinamool scores landslide victory in West Bengal civic polls
The victory in the municipal polls, which was billed as the semi-final before the Assembly polls, will act as a shot in the arm for the TMC.
In a major boost to the party ahead of next year's Assembly polls, the Trinamool Congress on Tueasday scored a landslide victory in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation bagging 114 of the 144 wards, and also won 69 of the 91 civic bodies in districts across West Bengal.
The victory in the municipal polls, which was billed as the semifinal before the Assembly polls, will act as a shot in the arm for the TMC, which recently faced serious allegations of corruption, including alleged involvement of some of its leaders in the Saradha Chit Fund scam.
Chief Minister and Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee termed the victory as "a befitting reply to the slanderous campaign carried out by the Opposition and a section of the media."
The TMC, which in the last KMC polls had won 95 seats, increased its tally to 114 while the main opposition CPM-led Left Front was reduced to just 15 from 33.
The BJP, which was hoping to replace the Left as the main opposition in the KMC, miserably failed, managing to increase its tally from three to just seven seats.
Independents bagged three seats in the KMC.
Congress, which was fast becoming insignificant in state politics, managed to win five seats, down from eight in 2010.
Although the TMC scored a big win, it got some blows too as several heavyweights bit the dust.
Chairman of the outgoing KMC board Sachidananda Banerjee, deputy mayor Farzana Alam of the TMC besides prominent party councillor Paresh Pal were defeated.
On the part of CPM, the leader of opposition in the outgoing KMC board Rupa Bagchi was defeated by her nearest TMC rival.
Contrary to the KMC, the results in the Siliguri Municipal Corporation showed the CPM-led Left Front has managed to regain some of its lost ground capturing 23 of the 47 seats.
TMC bagged 17 seats in Siliguri Municipal Corporation, which was regarded as a prestige fight for TMC leader and state minister Gautam Deb and CPI(M) leader and former minister Ashok Bhattacharya.
The Congress won five seats while the BJP got two seats and an independent won one seat in Siliguri.
For the Left which suffered major electoral reverses in recent years, the victory in Siliguri Municipal Corporation came as a morale booster.
Apart from its big victory in the KMC, TMC showed impressive results in municipalities across the state.
The party snatched Sonamukhi in Bankura, Baduria, North Dum Dum in North 24-Parganas, Mathabhanga and Tufanganj in Coochbehar, Gayeshpur municipalities in Nadia from the Left and the Congress.
The Left Front won just five municipal bodies, Jangipur, Dinhata, Daihat, Siliguri and Taherpur, whereas the Congress won five municipalities, Murshidabad, Kandi, Jhalda, Kaliagunj and Islampur. The BJP failed to win even a single civic body.
The fate of 12 municipalities is undecided as none of the political parties managed to get a majority.
Dedicating the victory to the people of the state, Banerjee said the results proved that the Opposition's allegations of rigging and violence by TMC cadres were "wrong".
"This victory is an answer to all the slander and canard that was spread against us. Even with so many TV channels you could not do anything. The polls were completely free and peaceful. Had there been rigging, we would not have lost the few seats," she said.
"Leave aside Trinamool, there were so many personal attacks against me. I don't know what would have been the consequences if such things were done in any other state. Yet again, it has been proved that in a democracy, it's the people who have the final say," she said.
"Our board has done well. We have to do more good work to get closer to the people," she said.
The CPM, on the other hand, claimed that the victory of TMC did not "reflect public opinion".
"The results do not reflect public opinion but are a reflection of muscle and money power. Wherever the Left has put up a resistance to the violence the people have blessed us. The results have also shown it's not the BJP, but the Left which still enjoys mass support and can fight for democratic rights," CPM politburo member Mohammed Salim said.
Here are the district-wise results:
Howrah District
Uluberia Municipality - TMC WINS
Nadia District
Nabadwip Municipality - TMC WINS
Santipur Municipality - TMC WINS
Ranaghat Municipality - TMC WINS
Birnagar Municipality - TMC WINS
Kalyani Municipality - TMC WINS
Gayeshpur Municipality - TMC WINS
Taherpur Municipality - LEFT WINS
Haringhata Municipality - TMC WINS
South 24 Parganas District
Budge Budge Municipality - TMC WINS
Rajpur-Sonarpur Municipality - TMC WINS
Baruipur Municipality - TMC WINS
Maheshtala Municipality - TMC WINS
Joynagar-Majilpur Municipality - HUNG (TMC - 4 / CONG - 6 / SUCI - 2 / LEFT - 1 / OTHERS - 1)
Murshidabad District
Jiaganj-Azimganj Municipality - LEFT WINS
Murshidabad Municipality - CONGRESS WINS
Kandi Municipality - CONGRESS WINS
Jangipur Municipality - LEFT WINS
Dhulian Municipality - CONGRESS WINS
Beldanga Municipality - CONGRESS WINS
Burdwan District
Kalna Municipality - TMC WINS
Katwa Municipality - TMC / CONG TIE
Dainhat Municipality - LEFT WINS
Memari Municipality - TMC WINS
Birbhum District
Suri Municipality - TMC WINS
Rampurhat Municipality - TMC WINS
Bolpur Municipality - TMC WINS
Sainthia Municipality - TMC WINS
Bankura District
Bankura Municipality - HUNG (TMC - 12 / LEFT - 5 / BJP - 2 / CONG - 1 / OTHERS - 4)
Bishnupur Municipality - TMC WINS
Sonamukhi Municipality - TMC WINS
West Midnapore District
Kharagpur Municipality - HUNG (TMC - 11 / CONG - 11 / LEFT - 6 / BJP - 7)
Ghatal Municipality - TMC WINS
Chandrakona Municipality - TMC WINS
Ramjibanpur Municipality - HUNG (TMC - 5 / BJP - 2 / OTHERS - 4)
Khirpai Municipality - TMC WINS
Kharar Municipality - TMC WINS
East Midnapore District
Tamluk Municipality - TMC WINS
Contai Municipality - TMC WINS
Egra Municipality - TMC WINS
Purulia District
Purulia Municipality - TMC WINS
Jhalda Municipality - CONG WINS
Raghunathpur Municipality - TMC WINS
Jalpaiguri District
Jalpaiguri Municipality - TMC WINS
Mal Bazar Municipality - TMC WINS
Malda District
English Bazar Municipality - TMC WINS
Old Malda Municipality - HUNG ( TMC - 10 BJP-5 LEFT-2 INDEPENDENT- 3)
Darjeeling District
Siliguri Municipal Corporation - HUNG (LEFT - 23 / TMC - 17 / CONG - 4 / BJP - 2 / OTHERS - 1)
Dakshin Dinajpur District
Gangarampore Municipality - TMC WINS
Uttar Dinajpur District
Islampore Municipality - CONG WINS
Kaliaganj Municipality - CONG WINS
Cooch Behar District
Cooch Behar Municipality- TMC WINS
Dinhata Municipality - LEFT WINS
Tufanganj Municipality - TMC WINS
Mathabhanga Municipality - TMC WINS
North 24 Pargana District
Kanchrapara Municipality - TMC WINS
Halisahar Municipality - TMC WINS
Naihati Municipality - TMC WINS
Bhatpara Municipality - TMC WINS
Garulia Municipality - TMC WINS
North Barrackpore Municipality - TMC WINS
Barrackpore Municipality - TMC WINS
Titagarh Municipality - TMC WINS
Khardah Municipality - TMC WINS
Kamarhati Municipality - TMC WINS
Baranagar Municipality - TMC WINS
North Dum Dum Municipality - TMC WINS
South Dum Dum Municipality - TMC WINS
New Barrackpore Municipality - TMC WINS
Barasat Municipality - TMC WINS
Madhayamgram Municipality - TMC WINS
Ashokenagar-Kalyangarh - TMC WINS
Bongaon Municipality - TMC WINS
Gobardanga Municipality - TMC WINS
Baduria Municipality - TMC WINS
Basirhat Municipality - TMC WINS
Taki Municipality - HUNG (TMC-8 LEFT-5 BJP-3)
Hooghly District
Bansberia Municipality - TMC WINS
Hooghly-Chinsurah Municipality - TMC WINS
Bhadreswar Municipality - TMC WINS
Baidyabati Municipality - TMC WINS
Champdany Municipality - TMC WINS
Serampore Municipality - TMC WINS
Rishra Municipality - TMC WINS
Konnagar Municipality - TMC WINS
Uttarpara-Kotrung Municipality - TMC WINS
Chandannagore MC - TMC WINS
Arambagh Municipality - TMC
Tarakeswar Municipality - TMC WINS
Dankuni Municipality - TMC WINS