LF suffers blow, concedes five boards to Opposition

Kolkata, Jul 2 (UNI) After the dismal performance in the recent Panchayat election in West Bengal, the ruling Left Front today received a further setback in the civic poll for 13 Municipalities with the Opposition wresting five boards.

Among the five, the Trinamool Congress snatched three, while the Congress and the ''Mahajot'' captured one each.

The Front lost Guskara, Dalkhola, Dubrajpur, Habra and Midnapore but managed to retain Mekhliganj, Balurghat, Chakda, Panihati and Bardhaman.

Reacting to the poll results, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee said, ''The verdict proves that the people of the state want change of guard and it also reflects their protest against the faulty industrial process. It also strengthens our demands for giving back lands to farmers in Singur and other places. '' Information and Broadcasting Minister and State Congress president Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi opined that his party could have fared better, had the ''Mahajot'' among the Opposition parties materialised.

Of the 13 Municipalities, which went to poll on June 29, Diamond Harbour in South 24 Parganas district was the lone board ruled by the Trinamool Congress among the three won by the Opposition, while Haldibari in North Bengal and Dubrajpur in Birbhum district were governed by the Congress.

While the West Midnapore Municipality was run by Left Front -supported ''Bikash Parishad'', the remaining nine boards belonged to the Front.

UNI ADG SJC AB PK RN1923