Trinamool scores in Bengal civic polls

By Malabika Bhattacharya

CALCUTTA, JUNE 28. The Trinamool Congress-BJP combine appears to be all set to form the Board in the Calcutta Corporation which elected a hung body. The Trinamool and the communists were locked in a close fight in the adjoining Salt Lake municipality where each secured 11 out of the 23 wards. The result could not be declared as counting was held up in Ward 16 where an electronic voting machine developed a technical problem.

In Calcutta, the Trinamool-BJP combine secured 61 seats with the Trinamool alone bagging 57. The CPI(M)-led Left Front won 60 seats, while the Congress(I) secured 14. Independents accounted for six seats. ``We will form the Board in the Calcutta Corporation without the Congress(I)'s help,'' Ms. Mamata Banerjee, Trinamool chief, said.

She hoped that the bulk of the newly-elected Congress(I) councillors and a few Independents would cross over to her party to help form the Board in the 141-member Corporation. That would mean the support of 71 councillors.

The Trinamool dealt a heavy blow to the CPI(M) when it defeated its sitting Mayor, Mr. Prasanta Chatterjee, and got its candidate, Mr. Subrata Mukherjee, elected.

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