For TMC, if Mamata Banerjee herself contests from Siliguri she will not win - Ashok Bhattacharya

In an apparent repartee to Wednesday’s statement by state sports and youth affairs ministers Arup Biswas on Siliguri’s development resting solely at the hands of the chief minister, Siliguri mayor Ashok Bhattacharya today said even "if Mamata Banerjee herself contests from Siliguri she will not win".

Biswas, who was in Siliguri to inaugurate the West Bengal State Handicraft Expo, yesterday ridiculed the Opposition including the Left Front for failing to developing Siliguri, asserting he was confident that the Trinamool Congress would sweep the upcoming state Assembly election. Bhattacharya today said previous elections to the Siliguri Municipal Corporation and panchayats have showed the people of Siliguri support the Left Front. He said the Trinamool will not win in Siliguri even if the chief minister herself contests. 

The mayor recalled that prior to the SMC and SiliguriMahakumaParishad polls, the chief minister had declared the TMC’s sure victory, but that went in vain when the poll results came out. Today, as per a pre-announcement, the mayor arrived at his office in his private vehicle. He had asked all SMC officials to use their private vehicles every Thursday while reporting for work. When asked about the reason, he replied, "The government is not providing sufficient funds to run the SMC; hence we are trying to save public money and this is one such effort." Although it was an official holiday today, Bhattacharya arrived at his office around 11am to complete some pending work, said SMC sources. (EOI)