Trinamul Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee reportedly told the party’s Calcutta councillors on Tuesday that any attempt to rig coming civic polls to win extra seats would not be tolerated as such excesses would result in the loss of a number of Assembly seats next year.

“For winning 20 extra wards in a civic body, we cannot infuriate people as it ends up costing us a bunch of Assembly seats next year. The (civic) polls have to be free and fair. Nobody should try to win through malpractices,” Trinamul’s de facto Number Two Banerjee was quoted as having said at a meeting of the party’s councillors at the Calcutta Municipal Corporation.

Trinamul poll strategist Prashant Kishor, party secretary-general Partha Chatterjee, state president Subrata Bakshi and senior leader Subrata Mukherjee were among those who were present at the meeting.

The message of the free elections — described as “unprecedented and heartening” by a senior leader of the ruling party — is likely to be sent to Trinamul councillors of other civic bodies which will also go to polls this summer. “First Bakshida and then Abhishek told us categorically that vitiation of peace and malpractice would not be tolerated. This will come back to trouble us and the party cannot afford that,” said an attendee of the meeting at Trinamul Bhavan.

“Councillors winning by hook or by crook will not be of any use if the party loses its MLAs and MPs. This is not an everlasting arrangement and organisational shake-ups are in order. In short, the Assembly elections next year are the foremost priority and nothing else matters to the party right now,” he added.

According to him, the councillors were told that none but voters would be allowed in the queues at polling booths.

Sources said Abhishek had told the gathering that around 30 per cent of the councillors were “ill-reputed for their misconduct” and such feedback from the electorate was being factored in.

Trinamul was accused of large-scale malpractices and highhandedness during panchayat polls in 2018. The backlash of the panchayat polls excesses hit Trinamul hard last year with the BJP winning 18 Lok Sabha seats and leading in 121 Assembly segments.

The leadership of the ruling party in Bengal showed on Tuesday that it was ready to take lessons from Trinamul’s unimpressive performance in the general election.

“We ensured that 34 per cent of seats in the panchayat system went uncontested in our favour through strong-arm tactics, nothing else. In the summer of 2018, we denied voting rights to at least 1.75 crore people in Bengal,” said a senior Trinamul leader.

The sources said Bakshi and Abhishek had told the councillors that Team Prashant Kishor had already assessed chances of win by each probable candidate of Trinamul in all 144 Calcutta wards. The sitting councillors’ performance would be the primary basis of their re-nominations in the polls, said the sources.

“No sabotage, by those who don’t make the cut, would be tolerated. If there is that mindset, said Abhishek, such people are free to leave the party right away. It was a very firm message. When he said it, although Didi (Mamata Banerjee) was not present, it was clear it was her wish,” said a source.

“There is still some time before the announcement of the elections. The councillors were told to go on an overdrive to do whatever they could to finish pending works,” said the source.