After this yr’s no-holds-barred meeting elections and the distinguished Bhabnipur bypoll by which Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was the candidate, West Bengal is headed for one more high-stakes battle: for management of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.
The Trinamool Congress is attempting to take care of its profitable streak within the state within the December 19 election, particularly for the reason that BJP remains to be grappling with the dimensions of its defeat within the meeting elections, and has since defected from its get together within the TMC. Is.
However, not like the 2019 Lok Sabha or this yr’s meeting elections, the KMC election won’t be only a two-way contest. In truth, the CPM and the Congress, which contested the meeting elections collectively and didn’t win a single seat, could take pleasure in an edge over the BJP right here as a consequence of conventional grassroots assist for each events, particularly within the state. cities and cities. Despite the good progress it has made in a state the place it had no presence till just lately, the BJP doesn’t have a powerful native face or organizational energy.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the course of the election marketing campaign of her sister-in-law Kajri Banerjee in Kalighat. (Photo: CMO)
The TMC first received the KMC election in 2010, ousting the Left Front, even earlier than it got here to energy within the state in 2011. He received 95 out of 141 wards.
In 2015, the TMC retained the civic physique, profitable 124 of the 144 wards (by then the energy of the KMC had grown). CPM received 13 and Congress received 2. After the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP, which was then a brand new entrant, shocked everybody by profitable 5 wards.
The subsequent election of KMC was to be held in 2020, however it was postponed in view of Kovid.
For Sunday’s election, the TMC eliminated 39 sitting councillors, however retained its heavyweights together with former mayor Firhad Hakim, former deputy mayor Atin Ghosh, MLAs Debashish Kumar, Devvrat Majumdar, Ratna Chatterjee and Paresh Pal and MP Mala Roy. has stored. Mamata Banerjee’s sister-in-law Kajri Banerjee is the TMC candidate from ward quantity 73 of Bhawanipur, thus turning into the third member of the get together to get a celebration ticket for the election.
Former KMC mayor and administrator Firhad Hakim throughout election marketing campaign in Kolkata. (Express Photo by Parth Paul)
Relatives of a number of different TMC leaders have additionally acquired tickets, together with Pooja Panja, daughter of State Women and Child Development and Social Welfare Minister Shashi Panja; Sandeepan Saha, son of MLA Swarn Kamal Saha; Kakoli Sen, spouse of TMC MP Shantanu Sen; Councilor Tarak Singh’s son and daughter Amit Singh and Krishna Singh; and Saurav Bhattacharya, the son of minister Chandrima Bhattacharya.
The BJP has fielded many old-timers however has additionally gone with 48 candidates under the age of 40. Left Front and Congress have retained their leaders who received final time.
Outgoing mayor and TMC chief Firhad Hakim stated that if given the cost of KMC once more, his precedence will probably be Kolkata’s water-logging and ingesting water downside. “Our opposition is us. We must win the belief of the folks and full the remaining.”
Sitting TMC MLA and ward quantity 11 candidate Atin Ghosh stated folks have already rejected BJP’s politics, whereas the Left and Congress are barely attempting to revive their events. “TMC will easily win wards 132-134,” Ghosh stated.
The opposition has expressed apprehension of violence in the course of the elections, as was alleged in the course of the meeting elections. The BJP appealed to the Calcutta High Court for Central Forces, and whereas a single-judge bench rejected his plea, his enchantment is now being heard by a division bench.
CPM Kolkata district secretary Kallol Majumdar stated, “TMC goons and their teams are active in every ward. Our aim is to give a transparent municipal administration to the people of Kolkata.”
an extended historical past
Established in 1876, the KMC administers an space of 206.08 km, which is split into 144 administrative wards. Each ward elects a councillor. The municipal physique discharges its capabilities by a mayor-in-council, which consists of a mayor, a deputy mayor and 10 different elected members. Kolkata District contains of 16 Vidhan Sabha seats and two Parliamentary Constituencies. CR Das was the primary elected mayor and Subhash Chandra Bose was their chief govt officer.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
