Bengal: TMC sweeps crucial Haldia municipality in no-confidence motion

Haldia: Once a stronghold of the CPI-M, the Haldia municipality in East Midnapore district today voted in favour of a Trinamool Congress-sponsored no-confidence motion against its chairperson Tamalika Panda Seth of the Marxist party. Fourteen councillors voted in favour of the no-confidence motion and 11 against, with one councillor Dulal Jana of the CPI-M being absent. The 26-member municipal board had 15 CPI-M councillors and 11 Trinamool Congress councillors. [caption id=“attachment_1123425” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Mamata Banerjee. AFP. [/caption] The TMC councillors had moved the no-confidence motion against Seth two months back alleging inadequate municipal services like short supply in drinking water and bad roads. Tamalika Panda Seth, the wife of former CPI-M MP and Haldia strongman Lakshman Seth, was re-elected as chairperson of the municipality of the port-based industrial town two years ago. Yesterday, the Calcutta High Court while hearing a petition by Seth and other CPI-M councillors praying for the quashing of the no-confidence notice, refused to interefere in the matter. The high court directed the district administration to make adequate security arrangement for the meeting. Tamalika Panda Seth alleged that those who supported TMC were “coerced and harrassed”. There was tremendous pressure on our party councillors (to support them). But the people are with us". TMC M P Subhendu Adhikari said that the party councillors brought the no-confidence motion in a democraticmanner as per the rules of the civic bodies. “We are happy that three Left councillors have supported us. There was no development during the Left-controlled board,” he said adding that a new chairperson would be elected within a week. PTI