Mamata pays for driving away Nano

Trinamool fares worse than expected in civic polls

KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee’s overzealous agitation — to drive Tata’s Nano project out of Singur as well as her support to Maoists in spearheading the tribal movement in West Midnapore district’s Lalgarh-Jhargram region — seems to have not gone down to well with the masses.

On Monday, the Left Front virtually swept the polls in two prime municipalities; Howrah and Jhargram. The Congress, too, fared very well, regaining control Krishnagarh in Nadia and Berhampore in Murshidabad.

Trinamool, on the other hand, fared worse than what they had expected, in Howrah, Jhargram, Berhampore and Krishnagarh municipalities.

Of the 50 seats in Howrah, the Left retained 33 seats, Congress came in second with 9 seats, while the Trinamool, which came in third, bagged 7 seats. One seat in Howrah went to the independents.

Of the 17 seats in Jhargram, the Left bagged 13 and the Trinamool 2. The Congress and Independents bagged 1 seat each.  

Congress charmer, Lok Sabha member Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, worked his magic at Berhampore, where the party won all 25 seats.

At Krishnagarh, too, the Congress secured 14 of 24 seats; 8 went to the Trinamool and 2 to Independents.

Left Front chairman and CPI(M) state secretary Biman Bose said, “The people of West Bengal have started defeating anti-development and destructive forces.” An embarrassed Mamata said, “Despite election irregularities , Trinamool has done quite well.” 

r_sumanta@dnaindia.net