The scales tilted in favour of Trinamul on Wednesday in Jhalda municipality, Purulia, as two Independent councillors, including the chairperson, and three Congress councillors joined Bengal's ruling party in the presence of the Baghmundi MLA Sushanta Mahato.
Trinamul is now in a position to wrest the 12-member municipality from the Congress and can approach the SDO's office for a formal change of guard.
Chairperson Shila Chatterjee, who won as an Independent, and one of the turncoat Congress councillors Mithun Kandu said they were unable to work for the betterment of local people in the Congress and decided to join Trinamul support chief minister Mamata Banerjee's development plank.
"People voted for me to do good work for them. But we were unable to work in the Congress-led civic body. So, we decided to join Trinamul," said Chatterjee, with Mithun and three others also echoing her.
Mahato, who handed over Trinamul party flags to them, said they had no alternative to Mamata's party if they wanted to work for development in Bengal.
Jhalda was the sole Congress-led municipality in Bengal.
Congress leader Kaustav Bagchi said Trinamul was trying to destroy the Congress in Bengal.
At the elections in February 2022 to Jhalda civic body, the Congress and Trinamul bagged five seats each and Independents two.
In March 2022, Congress councillors Tapan Kandu was murdered before the civic board was formed amid charges of a Trinamul hand in it to "grab" power.
The CBI is investigating the murder case following a Calcutta High Court order.
Tapan’s wife Purnima Kandu, one of the two Congress councillors who did not switch sides, on Wednesday said the development was “unexpected”.
State Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said: “The BJP and Trinamul have unleashed muscle-backed and money-backed politics in Bengal. These were prevalent in north India, Trinamul brought it here.”
Echoing Chowdhury, CPM state secretary Md Salim said: “I do not blame those who have defected. They are poor people, how long can they fight against state sponsored terror? I congratulate them for fighting this long. Mamata is omnivorous. She can't even let the Opposition rule a small municipality of 12 members.”
