Civic poll results a harbinger for political change in W. Bengal: Mukherjee

Busan (S.Korea), June 3 (ANI): Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday described the results of the recently held West Bengal civic polls as a harbinger for political change in the state ahead of next year's assembly polls.

"Congress and Trinamool Congress combined together bagged two-thirds majority, which is a repeat performance of the last Lok Sabha elections. But, the fact of the matter is she (Mamata Banerjee) has clearly established the acceptability of her party as the political harbinger of change in state," Mukherjee said.

Commenting on the Congress tie-up with the TMC and on Mamata Banerjee's tantrum, Mukherjee said that the coalition will continue like this and will fight the next polls together.

Though, in the just concluded municipal elections, there was no tie-up, Mukherjee said that in local polls, tie-ups are not needed as it is fought on local issues.

It applies to other coalition partners also, as in Maharashtra also, the Congress has no tie-up with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in local-level elections.

Pranab lauded the TCM's performance in the elections, particularly in rural areas which used to be bastion of Left Front.

He said the expansion of Mamata and TMC's political from the urban metropolis to the rural areas should be seen very crucial for a change in the state.

The Trinamool Congress won the 141-ward Kolkata Municipal Corporation polls on Wednesday, inflicting a crushing blow to the ruling Left Front.

The elections were dubbed as a semi-final before next year's Assembly polls.

The Trinamool Congress, which had already won two-thirds majority in the 141-member KMC, will not need the support of the Congress to rule Kolkata.

The Left Front, which was in power in KMC with 75 wards, managed to win in only 29 wards.

In the 2005 KMC polls, Left parties had won 75 seats, the Trinamool Congress 42, the Congress 21 and the BJP three. By Ravi Shankar (ANI)