WB civic polls: The hills are smiling, tweets Mamata Banerjee after TMC wins 4 out of seven municipalities

The Trinamool Congress on Wednesday won four out of the seven municipal bodies that went into polls over the weekend. For the TMC, it was even more monumental because for the first time, the Mamata Banerjee-led party also made a dent in the hills – a region of the state that was so far dominated by BJP ally Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM).

The GJM won three of the four municipalities in the hills, and the BJP made significant progress in terms of vote share. However, the Congress-Left alliance took a beating at all seven polls.

 Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her satisfaction through her tweets.

Congratulations to Ma Mati Manush for again & again putting their trust in us. We are honored, privileged & humbled #VerdictOfBengal 1/4

— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) May 17, 2017

Congratulations to my brothers/sisters in hill areas of Darjeeling Kurseong Kalimpong Mirik for participating in the democratic process 2/4

— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) May 17, 2017

Special thanks to Mirik for reposing faith in us. We will work sincerely for you.After so many decades we begin a new era in the hills 3/4

— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) May 17, 2017

The hills are smiling #VerdictOfBengal 4/4

— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) May 17, 2017

All India TMC secretary general and state education minister Dr Partha Chatterjee said, “Victory at Mirik shows that people at the hills have also started supporting TMC owing to its developmental work for the people.”

State Congress president Adhir Chowdhury said that the results were not a reflection of people’s mandate. “It is a result of vote looting at gunpoint,” he said.

However, opposition parties have said it wasn’t a free and fair election. “If the TMC was so confident of its developmental works, why did they have to resort to violence. It proves free and fair polls under the present government are not possible,” said CPIM MLA Sujan Chakraborty said,

BJP national president and former state president Rahul Sinha said that had there not been wide spread violence and booth capturing, BJP would have won in Pujali. “It is the victory of hooliganism, not of the TMC,” he said.