NCPI may form coalition with BJP in upcoming Bengal municipal polls, say leaders

Leaders of the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) on Wednesday hinted at forming a coalition with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the upcoming municipal elections in West Bengal slated for later this year.At least 20 TMC MPs led by Dastidar quit the party and merged with the NCPI. (ANI)Senior BJP leaders from the state, however, remained non-committal, saying the party was focusing on all 209 seats in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation election.“We are the largest coalition member of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. Hence during the elections, we will contest as members of the NDA. So, we will have to form a coalition with the BJP. We will take a decision when the election approaches, but there is every possibility there will be a coalition,” said Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, a rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP who joined the NCPI.After the BJP ousted the 15-year-old TMC regime and came to power in the state in May this year, several TMC councillors and municipal chairpersons resigned. Many were arrested on corruption charges during the TMC-regime. The BJP government in the state appointed administrators to run the civic bodies, which dissolved after the leaders resigned. At least 20 TMC MPs led by Dastidar quit the party and merged with the NCPI.“We as NCPI members have joined the NDA. I have preliminary talks with the chief minister. We will contest the elections together as a coalition member,” said Sudip Bandyopadhyay, another rebel TMC MP who joined the NCPI.West Bengal has 128 civic bodies all led by the TMC. While seven are municipal corporations (Kolkata, Siliguri, Asansol, Durgapur, Howrah, Bidhannagar and Chandannagore), the rest are municipalities.“I am not in a position to say anything in this connection to the media at present. Right now, we are focussing on all 209 seats (of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation). Who will contest with which symbol will come later,” said Sukanta Majumdar, union minister and senior BJP leader.Also Read: ED searches 14 premises across seven states, UTs in NHAI toll fraud case“They (NCPI) don’t have any organisational existence. They are just some stray MPs. They have no future,” said Saugata Roy, veteran TMC MP.This would be the first elections held in the state after the BJP’s sweeping victory in the assembly elections earlier this year. The BJP won 208 of the 294 seats.The West Bengal State Election Commission (WBSEC), which will hold the polls, set the ball rolling for the upcoming civic elections in Kolkata, Howrah and a few other cities in the state. The poll panel held a meeting with the district magistrates and district municipal election officers in six districts, including Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, South 24 Parganas, Howrah and East Midnapore on Wednesday to take stock of the preparations.“The poll panel reviewed the progress in delimitation, reservation of seats, EVM management, electoral rolls, polling stations, polling personnel and other logistical arrangements for the upcoming polls,” said a senior WBSEC official.