Trinamool takes over Murshidabad municipality from Congress

Kolkata, Sep 28 (IANS) Continuing its aggressive takeover of opposition-held elected bodies in West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress on Wednesday captured the Murshidabad municipality, with 11 elected Congress councillors switching allegiance to the state’s ruling party.

"Eleven elected councillors of the Congress, including the municipal Chairman Biplab Chakraborty and Vice Chairman Sahida Bibi have switched to Trinamool, taking our tally to 12 out of 16 seats in Murshidabad Municipality," Trinamool MP and party chief Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee told reporters here.

The ruling Trinamool has in recent times captured the zila parishad (highest level district council in the three-tier panchayati raj institutions) and scores of municipalities in Murshidabad.

Earlier this month, the Trinamool took control of Behrampore Municipality — till then considered Congress state chief Adhir Chowdhury’s pocket borough — after 17 of the Congress councillors crossed over.

The Trinamool now controls six of seven municipalities in the district, the sole exception being Kandi, which is still controlled by the Congress.

"We believe Trinamool also will take control of Kandi municipality shortly," Abhishek said.

Abhishek emphasised that people were turning away from the Congress in the party’s old bastion to be part of Mamata Banerjee’s development agenda.

"On the other hand, the Congress leaders and party workers are not happy with the party’s nexus with the Left front," he added.