Behrampore: In a takeover that has no precedence, Trinamool wrested a majority in the Jangipur civic board without having a single councillor elected on the party symbol.
The ruling party made it possible by poaching as many as 11 Left, Congress and BJP councillors in the 21-member municipality. The game plan is likely to work in Dhulian Municipality and then be extended to other places in Murshidabad.
All 11 councillors were on Trinamool's Shahid Diwas dais at Esplanade on Thursday, soon after they switched loyalties. Trinamool organisers will try to replicate the model in Kandi, Jiaganj-Ajimganj, Beldanga and Murshidabad.
Like CPM MLA Dipali Biswas from Malda's Gajole, Jangipur Municipality chairman and CPM leader Mojaharul Islam switched to Trinamool with four CPM councillors and one Left-backed independent councillor, pushing the defection tally to six. Add to this, one defection from RSP and three from Congress.
Incidentally, districts where Left and Congress activists were not too eager for the pre-poll jote are the prospective defection zones.
"We couldn't support the Left's going along with Congress in the assembly polls. Congress benefited the most from the alliance and betrayed the Left. If CPM state leadership can violate the party central committee's decision, what's the harm if we take our own course and join Trinamool?" asked Mojaharul.
Congress councillor and opposition leader of Jangipur municipality Samir Pandit said: "How can we support this Congress that went into an alliance with a party that we fought for almost four decades?"
The leader behind this model in Murshidabad is Trinamool Congress MP Subhendu Adhikari and his prized catch is Pradesh Congress president Adhir Chowdhury's brother-in-law Arit Majumder. Subhendu wants to utilise Arit's pent-up anger against Adhir.