CPI (M) voted out in Panskura Municipality in Midnapore

Kolkata, May 30 (UNI) The Nandigram cloud haunted the CPI(M) in Panskura in East Midnapore district as a combined opposition wrested the local municipality from the ruling Left Front in a prestigious battle.

As election results for five municipalities were declared, the Left Front managed to retain hold over Durgapur Muncipality in Bardhaman district and Dhupguri in Cooch Behar district while Congress also maintained sway at Nalhati in Birbhum and Coopers Camp in Nadia district.

In Panskura, where Trinamool Congress and Congress joined hands to put up common candidates, the Left Front cut a sorry figure with a total haul of only seven out of the total 17 seats. While the Trinamool Congress had the larger share of the cake with nine seats, the Congress cornered one.

In the previous Municipal body, the CPI (M) had 12 members against five of the Trinamool Congress.

Spurred by the victory in the prestige fight in a place close to Nandigram, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee said renewed the call for a grand alliance saying Panskura was a test case and the Congress should shun its policy of untouchability to respond to the people's wishes.

"Panskura is a test case which showed that people are ready to vote out CPM if the opposition is united. So, nobody should consider others as political untouchables", she said at a news conference.

The Trinamool leader said it was natural that one party had sway in some areas and it was weak in some other areas. "But if we all are united, the CPI (M) can be defeated," she said.

In the last Assembly elections, the Congress backed out on a proposal for aligning with the Trinamool Congress stating that no such move was possible as long as Ms Banerjee maintained truck with the BJP, her party's NDA partner.

The Congress had called upon Ms Banerjee to come out of the NDA and lead a secular non-Left force to fight against the CPI(M) in West Bengal.

UNI