TMC Sweeps KMC Polls Amid Rigging Allegations; Left Vote Share Higher Than BJP

Kolkata: The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) won 134 wards out of 144 wards in the just concluded civic polls in Kolkata, amid all Opposition parties alleging massive rigging and voter intimidation.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is the main Opposition party in the Assembly, won only three seats, while the Left and Congress won two seats each. Three seats were won by independent candidates.

In 2015, when the Kolkata Municipal Elections were last held, the TMC had won 124 wards, the Left 13, BJP 5 and Congress 2.

Interestingly, despite reports of large-scale voter intimidation and alleged rigging, the Left Front, led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), managed to improve its vote share significantly compared with the Assembly polls and ended up ahead of BJP.

As per reports, TMC got 71.95% vote share, the Left Front 11.13%, BJP 8.94% and Congress 4.47%.

According to Indian Express, BJP’s comparative vote share was 6% below 2015, and 20% lower than the Assembly polls; and the Left’s 13% less than the 2015 polls, but 7% more than the Assembly elections.

The Left Front came up as the principal rival of the ruling TMC in 66 wards, while BJP came second in 47 wards and Congress was the key rival in 16 wards. 

 CPI(M) central committee member Rabin Deb said that this  improvement in vote share was achieved in spite of “vote loot and rigging”, alleging that the “TMC, Election Commission and Police were united”, and “also ably supported by BJP”.

Deb said this result is a booster for Left cadres in the   upcoming municipal elections, whenever these take place.

 “We will continue to expose the TMC’s role in butchering democracy, ably aided by BJP. We will continue our drive for restoring  democracy in Kolkata and in the state,” Deb said, and thanked voters who managed to vote in the “tremendously rigged” poll.

Deb said in some municipal wards, Left candidates lost by small margins. “We won two seats and came second getting 11 % votes, which is at least 5 % more than the past two elections,” he said.  

He accused BJP of “helping” TMC  get more than 90% seats and 72 % votes, alleging that TMC “helped BJP in Tripura” in the last municipal elections. “It has been a reciprocal arrangement. As per vote share, too, BJP has been relegated to third position having 8.94% compared with 11 % votes of the Left Front” .    

Protests throughout the state against ‘rigging’

Meanwhile, protests were held throughout West Bengal and even in Agartala (capital of Tripura) against “vote loot” by TMC in the KMC polls, where a rally was held where the Left Front narrated their experience of the recently concluded civic polls where similar “vote loot” was orchestrated by the ruling BJP there.

On Monday, for over six hours angry Left Front workers laid siege at the office of the State Election Commission office at Sarojini Naidu Sarani Kolkata, condemning the “rigging”.

Protest programmes were also held in Hooghly,  Tarakeshwar  Purshura, Medinipore, Raigunj, North Dinajpur as also in Siliguri in North Bengal.