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Calcutta HC directs fresh no-trust motion in Bengal civic body that Trinamool won
BJP councillors had petitioned the court against the polling alleging that though they had 11 councillors, the ruling party defeated them with the support of 10 councillors after their members were obstructed from reaching the venue where the voting took place.
In a loss of face to Trinamool Congress, a single bench of Calcutta High Court on Monday nullified the trust vote that Bengal’s ruling Trinamool won in Bongaon municipality on July 16 and ordered a fresh one within 12 days that too at the at the district magistrate’s office instead of the municipality building.
BJP councillors had petitioned the court against the polling alleging that though they had 11 councillors, the ruling party defeated them with the support of 10 councillors after their members were obstructed from reaching the venue where the voting took place.
“The court has ruled that polling on the no-trust motion have to be taken afresh within 12 days and the vote will take place at the office of the district magistrate,” said Debjani Dasgupta, advocate for the BJP.
“The justice also ruled that the superintendent of police of North 24 Parganas district has to provide security to each of the councillors during these days (till the vote). The judge also said that in case her orders were not complied with she will take suo motu cognizance,” added Dasgupta.
Local BJP legislator Biswajit Das said, “The floor test will prove who has the majority. The verdict will help in restoring the people’s faith in the judiciary.”
Shankar Addhya, the chairman of Bongaon municipality against whom BJP had moved the no-confidence motion, said that though he heard about the verdict, he won’t comment without getting a copy of it.
Bongaon municipality has 22 councillors out of which 11 joined the BJP in June. Nine were with the TMC and one each with Congress and the Left.
TMC councillors, however, said that the party was now in a comfortable position after four councillors returned from the BJP to their camp on August 8.
“Four of us who joined the BJP have returned. We have 13 councilors and the Congress councillor is also with us making our strength 14. We will easily win the vote,” said Shampa Mohanto, one of the councillors who returned to TMC.
Another councilor Himadri Mondal, who returned to the ruling party, echoed Mohanto. “BJP has only 7 councillors now,” said Mondal. Two of the councillors who rejoined TMC, Dilip Majumdar and Kartik Mondal, did not take calls.
The control of a few civic bodies became a matter of political tug-of-war between the TMC and BJP in Bengal after the Lok Sabha elections in which the latter won 18 seats, a nine-fold rise compared to its 2014 tally of two seats.
TMC lost majority in seven civic bodies Bhatpara, Naihati, Halishahar, Kanchrapara, Bongaon, Garulia and Darjeeling when a majority of the councillors from these municipalities joined BJP in May and June.
However, over the past few weeks, several councillors from Naihati, Halishahar, Kanchrapara and Bongaon returned to the fold of the TMC.
