Kolkata, Sept. 2 -- Speculation over a possible BJP-NCPI alliance for the upcoming civic polls in West Bengal gained momentum on Wednesday, but state BJP president Samik Bhattacharya sought to play down the possibility, asserting that the party is capable of winning the Kolkata and Howrah municipal elections on its own.
Bhattacharya pointed out that the NCPI and the NDA have an understanding at the national level, but suggested that the arrangement may not automatically extend to Bengal's civic polls. "Delhi is around 1,500 kms away. It would take time to reach Kolkata. The civic body elections are very near," he said.
Bhattacharya said the NCPI, a new party that contested the last Lok Sabha polls on the TMC symbol, had since joined the NDA. He stressed that the BJP won Bengal on its own strength and said the state unit was capable of winning the KMC and Howrah polls, while leaving any alliance decision to the party's top leadership.
The comments came after NCPI leaders hinted at a possible BJP alliance for the civic polls. Rebel TMC MP and NCPI leader Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar said the party, as the NDA's largest coalition partner, would contest as an NDA member, leaving open the possibility of a tie-up with the BJP.
Following the change of government, several TMC councillors and civic chairpersons resigned, while many were arrested on corruption charges. The BJP government then appointed administrators to run the civic bodies after their elected boards were dissolved.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.