The elections to the Siliguri Bar Association (SBA), which are scheduled for 29 April, is set to be challenging for ruling members associated with the Darjeeling District Congress Lawyers’ Cell (DDCLC) as the Left-backed All India Lawyers’ Union (AILU) has decided to contest the polls separately, after seven years of fighting them jointly.
Very interestingly, after withdrawal of some candidates’ nomination papers, it is apparently evident that there is no contest between the AILU and the Trinamul Congress Legal Cell (TMCLC), at a time when the DDCLC would have to contest against three organizations, including the BJP-backed Legal Cell, which has fielded less number of candidates than others.
AILU has not fielded candidates where TMCLC candidates are contesting for the post of President and Vice President. On the other hand, AILU has fielded a candidate for the post of Secretary, while there is no candidate for the post from the TMCLC.
Similarly, in other posts of Office Bearers of the SBA, there is no contest between AILU and TMCLC. Even in the nine-member Executive Committee, five candidates of AILU and four candidates of TMCLC are contesting the polls.
Given this, political observers, and especially members of the DDCLC, have termed the alleged seat adjustment as a “new formula” and a “new Siliguri model,” when three opponents have come to an understanding for seat adjustment among themselves, just to beat the ruling DDCLC in the SBA.
Notably, the DDCLC has fielded candidates in all the 16 seats, while AILU is contesting in eight seats. TMCLC has fielded eight candidates and BJP-backed legal experts are contesting only in nine seats.
The Darjeeling district CPIM leadership, however, brushed aside the allegations of an understanding between the AILU and the TMCLC.
However, according to political sources, both the CPIM and the TMC leadership are embarrassed, following media reports.
Addressing the Press yesterday, Darjeeling district CPIM secretary Saman Pathak said: “It is not possible for our party members to contest the SBA elections directly or indirectly by joining hands with the TMC and the BJP since my party has been continuously fighting against both the parties. The information is absolutely false and baseless.”
Senior CPIM party leader Jibesh Sarkar said: “The party does not approve of any seat adjustment with the TMC and the BJP. We are investigating the matter. If any party members are found guilty, it is a punishable offence, and the party will take appropriate action against them.”
District Congress General Secretary and Advocate Alokesh Chakraborty, on the other hand, claimed that both the CPM and the TMC had started campaigning jointly. “From the very beginning, the CPM did not want to contest jointly with us, though we finally accepted AILU’s demand partly. It is a new Siliguri model hatched by the top leadership of the CPM and the TMC here. In fact, fearing the organizational strength of the Congress in the SBA, the CPM and TMC, in association with the BJP, are contesting against the DDCLC,” he said.
“In fact, the TMC wants to keep control of the SBA so that it can shift the Siliguri Court to Hatighisha,” Mr Chakraborty added.
Asked to comment, Darjeeling district CPIM secretary, Mr Pathak, said: “Something happened there as it has come to the media, which is not good for us. We are inquiring into it seriously. If anyone is found guilty, the party would take stern action against them.”
“We have even instructed our party members in the SBA to vote only in favour AILU candidates,” Mr Pathak said. However, Darjeeling district AILU secretary Dibakar Roy said: “We welcome the decision of the party, which has started investigating the matter to take proper steps. It is completely a false propaganda. Our candidates have finally withdrawn nomination papers due to personal reasons and owing to their ill health. In some posts, we did not have competent candidates.”
“We couldn’t join hands with DDCLC this year because we didn’t have importance as elected constituent of the SBA. Our members were not unhappy with the DDCLC and decided to contest alone,” Mr Roy added.
Very interestingly, the general secretary of the Trinamool Congress Legal Cell, Susmita Basu Maitra, said: “When the Left has broken an understanding with the Congress backed Legal Cell, it has started spreading a story of TMCCPM relations here, fearing loss of their existence. There is no question of any understanding and seat adjustment with the CPIM. But advocates associated with the SBA, paying no heed to their political barriers and even colour, have decided to elect a new committee that can perform better in the interest of all advocates and new members.”
Ms Basu Maitra also raised the issue of “dictatorship” of the DDCLC in the SBA and many other issues, including alleged financial irregularities.
On the other hand, significantly, the former CPIM leader, who is now BJP’s MLA from Siliguri, Dr Shankar Ghosh, said: “This new development in the SBA elections has unmasked the CPIM.”