The ruling Trinamul Congress leadership on Thursday suspended around 200 workers contesting rural body elections as independent candidates after they were denied tickets by the party leadership barely nine days ahead of the polls scheduled on 8 July..
Party insiders said that the suspended workers are from Howrah, Hooghly, Birbhum, Murshidabad, East Midnapore, West Midnapore and Jhargram. East Midnapore has highest number of 43 workers while for West Midnapore the number of suspended workers is 39. The rests are 15 in Birbhum, 25 in Hooghly, 13 in Howrah and 14 in Jhargram.
A senior leader of East Midnapore district Trinamul Congress unit said that several local leaders and party workers who are upset and demoralized after being denied tickets to contest polls have decided to field themselves either as independents or started to support silently opposition party candidates in some pockets in the district.
A list of such workers involved in anti-party activities has already been sent to the party leadership, he said requesting anonymity.
Barely three days ago the party leadership suspended more than 50 workers including 19 in South Dinajpur, five in Malda, 21 in Nadia and one in Bankura.
While addressing rallies in different districts since end of April Trinamul Congress general secretary repeatedly said that candidates filing nominations independently would not be taken back even if they win the seats where they contest.
During his ‘Nabojoar Jatra’ programme across district, “A candidate after being denied ticket by the party may file nomination papers as independents if they want. He or she should be aware of the fact that the party’s doors to come back again would remain closed for them forever.”
According to a senior leader of the party, “We have already completed the process of allotting symbols. But a section of workers driven by their personal interests are doing anti-party activities after they were denied tickets. We won’t take them back even if they win the polls in their respective seats.”