Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee announced former state minister Gautam Deb as the next mayor of Siliguri after Trinamul wrested the Siliguri Municipal Corporation board from the Left Front after seven years, making it an unassailable 4-0 lead in this round of the civic polls before leaving for North Bengal on Monday.

“Gautam Deb will be the new mayor of Siliguri. I am going to North Bengal. This visit is a happy one for me,” Mamata told television channel ABP Ananda.

Deb has won from ward 33 of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation by over 3,000 votes.

"It is once again an overwhelming victory of Ma, Mati, Manush..My heartiest congratulations to the people of Asansol, Bidhannagar, Siliguri & Chandanagore for having put their faith and confidence on All India Trinamool Congress candidates in the Municipal Corporation elections." tweeted Mamata. "We are committed to carry forward our development work further with greater zeal and enthusiasm. My sincerest gratitude to Ma Mati Manush."

The timing of Didi’s visit to North Bengal, the visit when the Trinamul has wrested the only municipal corporation run by the Left in the state, could not have been better.

Seven years ago, Mamata had made a similar trip to Siliguri soon after the CPM led by former minister Asok Bhattacharya won 23 wards in the Siliguri Municipal Corporation. That time, apprehensive about its councillors being wooed by the Trinamul camp, all 23 were huddled to a resort in the hills by the Left.

In 2022, Mamata has no need to woo anyone else.

Trinamul candidate Rajesh Chirimar who won from Bidhannagar ward 39 flashes the victory sign at Salt Lake on Monday The Telegraph picture

"People have given their verdict. Most people of north Bengal had voted for BJP in the Assembly elections, but they have done nothing since then. They said the tea gardens will be opened but no step has been taken. The Left Front too did nothing for the region. We brought development,” Mamata said.

The Trinamul had acquired unassailable leads in all four civic bodies, voting for which were held on Saturday. Counting began at 8am on Monday. By 4.00pm, Trinamul was leading in 39 of the 41 wards in the prestigious Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation, 37 of the 47 wards in Siliguri, 99 of 106 in Asansol and 30 of 33 in Chandernagore.

Gautam Deb resurrected

While the Trinamul was racing ahead in the four municipal corporations, only the Siliguri mayor’s name was announced. One of the main reasons behind the sudden announcement was Deb being pushed to the sidelines after his defeat in the 2021 Assembly polls.

Deb found himself out of favour with then newly anointed all-India general secretary Abhishek Banerjee as the organisation was restructured. While Deb was instrumental in getting several outgoing CPM councillors to the Trinamul fold, the move did not go down too well with the local leadership.

Didi victory all along

Mamata who has now taken complete control of the party can easily claim the victory is hers and hers alone as poll strategist Prashant Kishore and his team were kept at bay during the poll process.

With Bengal standing firmly behind her, Mamata has raised the tempo on her national aspirations as she kept her stand on the Congress ambivalent, which is pitching for a combined fight against the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

“Congress will go its way, we will go ours. Most of the regional parties are not in favour of Congress. In some states they are sharing power but the allies are scared the government could fall any day,” Mamata said.

Common anti-BJP platform

Mamata said she had approached the Congress as well as the CPM for a common platform against the BJP. “But if they don’t come forward, what can I do?” she asked.

The Bengal chief minister said she was in touch with her counterparts in the non-BJP ruled states. “I have spoken with the chief ministers of Telangana and Tamil Nadu. There is a sense of cooperation between us. Any party which is in favour of secularism should come under the same platform. The ball is now in the Congress’s court,” she said.

Reacting to Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s adverse comments on Bengal, Mamata said, “His words make it clear BJP is losing Uttar Pradesh.”