Former minister and veteran Trinamul leader Gautam Deb told party leaders and workers here on Sunday to put in every effort to secure a majority at the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) and the three-tier rural bodies under the Siliguri Mahakuma Parishad.
In Siliguri sub division, the elections of the SMC, a 72 ward civic body, and panchayat elections of the SMP are due since last year.
The SMP is spread over rural areas of the subdivision, which include four blocks and 22 panchayats.
“The popularity of our party chief Mamata Banerjee is increasing every day and she is gaining prominence in national politics. This is the time when we have to prove ourselves and secure the civic body and rural bodies. We have to start consolidating our base at booth levels immediately and we don’t want to witness failure like in previous years. The youth wing of the party has a major role to play here,” said Deb, who is a member of Trinamul’s national working committee.
He was speaking at the fifth conference of Darjeeling (plains) district Trinamul Youth Congress that was held at Baghajatin Park here.
According to party insiders, there are around 1,000 booths spread across Siliguri subdivision and in the added wards of the SMC under Jalpaiguri district.
“We have formed booth level committees in most booths. Party leaders and workers serving at different levels have been asked to initiate political activities. At a time the party has managed to build a base in states like Tripura and Goa, there is no reason why we can’t win the civic and the rural polls here,” said a Trinamul leader.
In Darjeeling district, Trinamul’s performance has been dismal so far in the civic and rural elections. Although the party has been in power in Bengal since 2011, it could manage to secure a majority only in the tiny Mirik municipality in 2017.
Political observers pointed out that the civic and rural polls of Siliguri were an acid test for Deb. They said despite him losing in the Assembly polls, the party reposed faith in him and made him the chairperson of the board of administrators of SMC. “He is the most prominent face of the party in north Bengal. But he has to show results at these local elections. Otherwise, questions will arise on his organisational abilities,” said an observer.
