The Trinamul Congress is set to grab power at two municipalities — Sainthia in Birbhum and Budge Budge in South 24-Parganas — even before polls are held as the ruling party’s nominees have no opponents in most of the wards at the civic bodies.

Wednesday was the last day for candidates to file nominations at 108 municipalities which will go to the polls on February 27. Scrutiny of the papers will be held on Thursday and the last date to withdraw the nominations is February 12.

Opposition parties, especially the BJP, alleged that they couldn’t field candidates in several wars of many civic bodies y because of threats and intimidation by Trinamul workers. Trinamul, however, swatted away the charges and mocked the Opposition for their alleged failure to even put up candidates.

Trinamul looked to won Sainthia and Budge Budge before a single vote is cast as no Opposition party could field their nominees in more than half of seats. Of 16 wards at Sainthia, 13 have only Trinamul contestants. The Left Front has fielded candidates in three wards.

Only Trinamul is in fray in 12 of 20 wards at Budge Budge.

Leaders of Opposition parties, mainly the BJP, said they apprehended the number of such victories may increase as many candidates, who filed their nomination papers, may opt out by February 12.

“We were not allowed to file nomination papers in a single ward of Sainthia municipality amid threat and terror by Trinamul. Trinamul backed goons have already started threatening our candidates who filed their nominations in other civic bodies. Trinamul is trying to win from more places uncontested by terror,” said Dhruba Saha, the Birbhum BJP president.

In Birbhum, BJP could field candidates in only 51 wards out of 93 in five civic bodies whereas the Left and the Congress together could field 67 candidates.

However, several state BJP sources said that the Trinamul's high-handed approach has come as a boon for the saffron camp as the party was struggling to find candidates for many of the 3000 odd wards. The party will now use Trinamul’s atrocities as an excuse for their inability to field candidates, said a source.

In north Bengal — claimed to be BJP's stronghold — the party has had issues with finding candidates in six of the 18 civic bodies. In Dinhata in Cooh Behar, Trinamul has won seven of the 16 wards, uncontested. According to sources in the ruling party it is confident of crossing the magic figure, which is 9, once the polls are held.

“It is true that there has been large-scale intimidation from Trinamul. But we should actually be thankful to them since we would have anyway failed to put up candidates in many wards. Now we can at least blame the ruling dispensation,” this source said.

BJP leader Sisir Bajoria visited the state election commission on Wednesday afternoon to lodge a complaint regarding the alleged atrocities.

In Bolpur town, the BJP could not field candidates in 19 out of 22 seats and the party complained that Trinamul goons chased the candidates and forced at least six of them to confine themselves inside a shop till the nomination process was over.

Senior BJP leaders headed by one of the state general secretaries Jagannath Chattopadhyay reached the place where the candidates kept them confined in fear and lodged a complaint with administration about the situation. Hundreds of Trinamul workers were found assembled in and around the nomination venue at Bolpur. A group of party workers played hockey on the road and lit crackers in front of the venue.

“Many candidates fled the nomination venue in fear and few had to be confined inside a shop of our party workers. An advocate who was doing the formalities on papers was taken away by the goons and later freed after smearing him in green colours. It proves how democracy has been killed here,” said Chattopadhyay.

Later, the confined candidates declined to come out to file their papers even after police officers came and assured to provide them security, which led the Trinamul to criticize the BJP for staging a drama.

“Is it the responsibility of Trinamul if BJP can’t field their candidates? In Bolpur, the BJP leaders staged a drama to show that their candidates could not file their papers due to violence. Then how do three of their BJP candidates enter and file their nomination? People have rejected BJP and so they can’t find their candidates,” said Trinamul district chief Anubrata Mondal.

(Additional reporting by our Siliguri bureau)