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Writing on the wall for Left Front: Mamata

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

Trinamul Congress president Mamata Banerjee today expressed confidence that her party would successfully form the board of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation with 'outside' support by weaning away reluctant corporators.

" The writing is clearly written on the wall. My party is the future of West Bengal and any politician worth his salt knows this including those in the Congress. They know that only my party can drub the Left Front of Jyoti (Basu) babu in the assembly elections next year. It is only a matter of time before some corporators switch over," Banerjee told rediff.com on the phone.

She dismissed speculation that since nine of the 15 Congress corporators were Muslims, they would not support the Trinamul, which had a tie-up with the Bharatiya Janata Party.

"The Trinamul has Muslim MPs and legislators because we are quintessentially secular. The Congress members are aware of this so I don't think I will have any problems in forming the CMC board with support from other party members," she pointed out.

Trinamul MP Sudip Bandopadhyay said his party had captured the people's imagination because of its genuine concern for them and the state.

" Our party chief is almost worshipped in West Bengal. She is there in the thick of things, whether it inspiring them to fight the tyranny of the Left Front government, helping them out during natural calamities or when they are in need. We have substantial Muslim voters and many members will find it difficult not to support us in forming the CMC board," Bandopadhyay asserted.

The Left Front is still recovering from the shock of the Trinamul's dazzling performance.

The Congress, which can tilt the balance either way, yesterday caused much disquiet in the Left Front ranks when it spurned Chief Minister Jyoti Basu's appeal to support it in the CMC.

Veteran Congress war-horse and state party chief A B A Ghani Khan Chowdhury (better known as Barkatda) has already apprised party chief Sonia Gandhi of the situation and assured her that there will be no defection to the Trinamul. But given Chowdhury's long-standing animosity with the Left, political observers feel that he will eventually, albeit surreptitiously, steer party coporators in the Trinamul's favour.

Senior West Bengal Congress leader Abdul Mannan indicated which way the wind was blowing by asserting that under no circumstances would the party support the Left Front to form the new CMC board.

In a desperate, last-ditch attempt to marshal support for the Left Front, Basu issued an appeal to everyone, including the Congress, for support. It was a forlorn request and the chief minister soon left for Israel, leaving the anxious Left Front members watching the unfurling drama.

Communist Party of India-Marxist MP Hannan Mollah told rediff.com that the results "were not really surprising." He contended that the urban population in Calcutta by and large was " unfriendly " to the Left Front with the Marwari and Bihari communities in the metropolis voting against it.

" Let us wait and see what happens," Mollah said evasively when asked whether the Trinamul was on the verge of creating history by dethroning the Left Front in the CMC.

EARLIER REPORTS
Hung verdict
Basu puts up a brave face
Trinamul luring our corporators: Congress

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