Samik Bhattacharya
We contested assembly election alone and won with a thumping majority.
We never allowed any dilution of the party philosophy,” Bhattacharya said. “Since we are the largest NDA partner, we will contest polls with the alliance partners,” NCPI MP Kakali Ghosh Dastidar had said. Speaking on this, Bhattacharya said, “NCPI is a new party and the MPs had contested polls on Trinamool’s symbol. That is why they have resorted to delimitation,” he said.
“Bengal BJP is able to fight it alone and win Kolkata and Howrah municipal polls. However, he added, “Any decision for alliance will be taken by the party bosses in New Delhi. They have joined the NDA, but state BJP has nothing to do with that.
MPs of NCPI had earlier claimed the party would contest KMC polls as NDA partners, in an alliance with BJP. NCPI MP Sudip Bhattacharya had earlier claimed that the party had discussed the issue of contesting KMC polls as NDA partners and BJP leadership in Delhi had agreed to it. Kolkata: BJP will go it alone in Kolkata and Howrah civic polls and it had no plan to share seats with any NDA partner, state BJP president Samik Bhattacharya said on Wednesday, virtually ruling out an alliance with NCPI. Meanwhile, Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh on Wednesday said that the party was ready to go it alone in KMC and HMC polls. “BJP knows that if civic polls are held today, Trinamool will form the board.
Pradesh Congress president Subhankar Sarkar said the party had started working on probable candidates and was prepared to contest in all constituencies. It is an absolutely undemocratic process and BJP is trying to demarcate the wards according to their chances of winning,” he said. “No political party has approached us for any alliance so far. The biggest worry for us is the delimitation process. There is no logic behind the delimitation process and we have pointed it out to the authorities.
Earlier reporting noted: Senior BJP leaders from the state, however, remained non-committal, saying the party was focusing on all 209 seats in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation election.
Mamata Banerjee has asked us to prepare to fight the civic polls alone,” said Ghosh. “The party is organised now and people’s support is shifting towards Trinamool. State govt has started becoming unpopular and it will have an impact on the civic poll result.
Earlier reporting noted: NCPI may form coalition with BJP in upcoming Bengal municipal polls, say leaders Leaders of the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) on Wednesday hinted at forming a coalition with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the upcoming municipal elections in West Bengal slated for later this year.