Agartala: BJP state committee will sit within a day or two to decide the Mayor for Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC) and Chairpersons of 19 municipal councils and Nagar Panchayats after winning all the urban local bodies of Tripura and having a vote share of 59.01 per cent, party sources said here today.
However, lobbying for the Mayor’s post in AMC began after winning two important personalities and a number of promising women leaders of BJP. According to reports Dipak Majumdar– the former Chairman of Agartala Municipal Council and known to be a clean and well-accepted leader – is a close associate of the Chief Minister is much ahead in the race for the Mayor of AMC.
On the other hand, Professor of Tripura University and BJP West Tripura district President Dr Alok Bhattacharjee has also been in the race for Mayor. He won the most important and Congress dominated area of CM’s constituency Banamalipur and Dr Bhattacharjee is the only highly educated person among the winning councillors.
Being the district president of the party, he has done a lot in five important constituencies of the city for the last two years and many party functionaries wanted to see him as the first citizen of Agartala. Dr Bhattacharjee, a down to earth man was denied a ticket at the last moment during the 2018 assembly poll and now his followers are demanding him in Mayor’s post.
As per the notification of the State Election Commission (SEC), the entire process of formation of new civic bodies would be done by December 4 next. Although the winter session of Parliament has begun today, the party has been persuaded to hold the swearing-in ceremony of AMC in the next few days in presence of senior central BJP leaders. Possibly prior to AMC, other bodies would take the oath of office in presence of state leaders in their respective towns, a senior party leader said.
“Even though we have registered a thumping victory in a civic poll by capturing 329 of 334 seats, the party leaders of all the constituencies were asked to celebrate the victory locally in a peaceful manner without causing any inconvenience to common people and not to fall into the trap of oppositions’ instigations,” said BJP President of Tripura Dr Manik Saha.
In the final counts of results, it has appeared in three months’ drill in Tripura, TMC has appeared as the formidable challenger of BJP in Agartala. TMC registered the vote share of 22.16 per cent against BJP’s 53.65 per cent in AMC despite the allegations of stopping their voters and even the candidates from voting. TMC had to move the Supreme Court with the allegations and their latest plea of countermanding the election is scheduled in the apex court on December 2 next.
The CPI(M) and Congress, which are the traditional parties of Tripura, have failed to prevent the erosion of their vote bank in the state, especially in AMC. The Congress lost its relevance in the state politics after securing less than two per cent vote in AMC while CPI(M) got stuck in the third position with 18.46 per cent votes.
