Abhishek Banerjee, the national secretary of the Trinamool Congress, said the party will not tolerate a power struggle during the panchayat polls due next year and asked every leader to fight unitedly against the opposition.
Banerjee also warned party leaders against using strong tactics in panchayat polls, as such incidents tarnish the party’s image.
Banerjee held a closed-door meeting Friday night with party workers and local leaders in the Amtala area of South 24 Parganas district.
Amatala falls within the Diamond Harbor Lok Sabha constituency, from which Banerjee had won twice.
“Our party leader Abhishek Banerjee has clearly said that infighting will not be tolerated. The party must unite in the panchayat polls. He has also warned against any violence as such incidents damage the image of the party,” a local TMC leader said on condition of anonymity.
During the 2018 panchayat polls, widespread violence, rigging incidents and clashes with the police were reported from various parts of West Bengal. The TMC’s number in the Lok Sabha polls fell from 34 to 22 the following year, and the opposition BJP’s seats rose from two to 18.
According to the TMC leader, Banerjee emphasized that building on the development work it has done over the past 11 years, the party is confident that it will get the mandate from the people overwhelming.
“He has also said that those party employees who have a clean image are given preference in the selection of candidates,” said the TMC leader.
With the majority of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal with rural and semi-urban areas administered by panchayats, control of the rural bodies is a must for political parties to prevail over rivals in the Lok Sabha- polls in 2024.
The TMC currently controls all Zilla Parishads and most gram panchayats in the state.
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