Trinamul Congress is forced to choose a woman from the Congress as a pradhan of the Narugram panchayat at Raina. She was chosen because in the numbers game she is the only representative from the Scheduled Tribe community in the panchayat. “We’re now forced by the circumstances to accept an ‘accidental pradhan’ as none from the other parties, including the TMC, could win this year,” exclaimed Bamdas Mondal, Trinamul Congress’s president for Raina-1 block. He added: “It was free and fair election in our block, where the CPM grabbed a panchayat.” The Narugram panchayat in Raina has 22 seats, of which, the TMC won in 18 and the CPM in 3 seats. Minati Mandi, a Congress candidate, defeated the TMC candidate.
In 2013, Minati had won as a Congress candidate from local Kulia village and had to flee her residence allegedly due to TMC’s terror. This year, the delimitation commission reserved the pradhan’s chair at Narugram panchayat for the ST community. As Minati is the lone elected member from the ST community, she’s remained as the ‘lone choice’ now.
The Trinamul initially tried to convince Minati, a daily wager, to switch over to the party, which the woman declined. She said: “Twice they tried to force me to join TMC but my neighbours restrained them.” Sheikh Qutubuddin, block president of the Congress, said, “The TMC repeatedly tried to force Minati, even tried to bribe her since the day of nomination. But destiny brought good time for her, ultimately.”
Another lone ST candidate in Hatgobindapur Panchayat in Burdwan-1 block Lata Hansda on a BJP ticket however deserted her party and joined the TMC yesterday, after the TMC ‘promised’ her a berth as the panchayat pradhan.