Trinamul leaders in three out of four municipalities that reported hung verdicts on Wednesday decided to form the board with help of the Independents who won the elections by defeating the party’s official nominees.
The four civic bodies with hung verdicts are Champdany in Hooghly, Egra in East Midnapore, Jhalda in Purulia and Beldanga in Murshidabad.
“The decision to form boards in case of municipalities with hung verdicts would be taken by the local leaders and representatives elected there (in the four districts). There is no other decision from the state’s end,” said Trinamul spokesperson Kunal Ghosh in the afternoon.
Accordingly, local leaders got into action and contacted the Independents.
However, sources said the decision on whether the party dissidents who won as Independents would be taken back into the fold again would be decided in a meeting of Trinamul leadership on March 8.
Trinamul had expelled over 200 such dissidents from the party who did not obey the party diktat of taking themselves out of the poll fray.
Right now, the party’s focus seems to be on getting the numbers for the boards in the four municipalities with hung verdicts.
Trinamul’s Suresh Mishra, the former chairman of Champdany municipality on Thursday confirmed that six out of the 10 Independents gave him a written nod to help to form the board. In Champdany municipality, Trinamul won in 11 seats out of the total 22 when the party's dissidents who contested as Independents won 10 seats. Congress won one.
Srikanta Mondal, an Independent victor, who reportedly influenced at least four such Independents in Champdany, said they would be a part of the civic body.
In the case of Jhalda municipality, Trinamul won five out of the 12 seats when Congress won five and Independents the rest two. One of the Independents contested as a Trinamul dissident.
“In Jhalda we will form the board as the both the Independents have assured to help us. The Independent from our party has already written to us ,” said Soumen Belthoria, the Purulia Trinamul president.
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the Congress state president, said the decision of forming a municipality board would be taken by local leaders.
Belthoria said there was no scope for Congress to form the municipality board there.
In the case of Egra, the Trinamul leaders confirmed that they would form the board with help of the lone Independent.
Trinamul leaders in Beldanga said they have yet to decide if they would take support of the Independents to form the board but would have no problem if they (the Independents) help in board formation by voting from outside.