1 week ago
TMC Defections Give Congress Claimed Control Of Dhulian Board
Five elected members of the Dhulian Municipality left the Trinamool Congress and joined the Congress.
They included the chairman, the vice-chairman and three councillors.
Trinamool had won every one of the municipality’s 21 wards in the last election.
The Congress says the five switches mean it now controls the board.
The former chairman said he left because development work was not moving forward.
A Trinamool leader said he changed parties to protect his position from a no-confidence motion.
The two parties therefore disagree about why the defections happened.
The change took place while political parties were arguing about names removed from electoral rolls in Murshidabad.
Dhulian Municipality chairman Inzamamul Islam, vice-chairman Khairul Islam and three Trinamool councillors joined the Congress.
The five councillors were from wards 15, 13 and 20; Trinamool had previously won all 21 municipal wards.
Congress leaders said the defections transferred control of the municipality board to their party.
Islam cited stalled development, while Trinamool MLA Mohammed Noor Alam called the switch a move to avoid a no-confidence motion.
The defections came amid controversy over electoral-roll revisions in Murshidabad and Congress claims of voter exclusion.
- Who
- Dhulian Municipality chairman Inzamamul Islam, vice-chairman Khairul Islam and councillors Sharif Sheikh, Mansur Ali and Sumera Khatun joined the Congress; local Congress and Trinamool leaders responded.
- What
- Five Trinamool Congress municipal representatives defected to the Congress, which then claimed control of the Dhulian Municipality board.
- Where
- Dhulian Municipality in Murshidabad, West Bengal, with the joining ceremony held at Kanchantala Gangaghat ground in Dhulian.
- When
- Sunday; the articles do not specify the date.
- Why
- Islam cited Dhulian’s development needs, while Trinamool alleged he acted to avoid a pending no-confidence motion; the move also occurred amid disputes over electoral-roll revisions.
Congress and defectors
Trinamool Congress
Reason for the defections
Congress and defectors
Inzamamul Islam said development in Dhulian could not be carried forward under Trinamool and that joining Congress served local residents’ interests.
Trinamool Congress
Mohammed Noor Alam said the switch was a political compulsion intended to save Islam’s chair from a pending no-confidence motion.
Control of the municipality
Congress and defectors
Congress claimed that the chairman, vice-chairman and three councillors joining the party gave it control of the Dhulian Municipality board.
Trinamool Congress
Trinamool had won all 21 wards in the last election, and the article does not report a Trinamool acceptance of Congress’s control claim.
Electoral-roll revision
Congress and defectors
Congress said its campaign against voter exclusion had revived its support and accused Trinamool representatives of failing to help affected voters.
Trinamool Congress
The article reports Trinamool’s criticism of the defections but does not provide a detailed response to Congress’s electoral-roll allegations.
Key facts
- Municipal wards
- Trinamool Congress won all 21 wards in the last Dhulian Municipality election.
- Defectors
- The defectors were the chairman, vice-chairman and three elected councillors.
- Congress event
- Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury handed the defectors Congress flags at a Dhulian joining ceremony.
- No-confidence motion
- Trinamool MLA Mohammed Noor Alam said a motion signed by 13 Trinamool councillors was pending against the chairman.
- Electoral-roll figures
- Congress figures cited around 95,000 names flagged in Samserganj during the SIR and about 24,000 later included in the final roll.
- Assembly result
- Trinamool’s Mohammed Noor Alam defeated Congress nominee Najme Alam by around 7,000 votes in Samserganj.
- Congress claim
- Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said more than five lakh Murshidabad residents’ names were cancelled during the SIR process.
Quotes
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury
Veteran Congress leader
“It was not possible to carry forward the development of Dhulian under the Trinamool Congress. As chairman, my primary responsibility is my area's development. Therefore, in the interest of Dhulian’s people, I, along with some of my colleagues, have left Trinamool and joined the Congress”
telegraphindia.com
“A no-confidence motion signed by 13 Trinamool Congress councillors has already been brought against chairman Inzamamul Islam. Now, he is joining another party only to save his chair. All this is nothing but political drama”
telegraphindia.com
Sources
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