KOLKATA: Facing unprecedented rebellion within the party over candidature in civic polls to be held on February 27, Trinamool Congress expelled 125 grassroots-level leaders and workers.
They had decided to contest as Independent candidates after being denied tickets.
The party also announced that these Independent candidates will not be taken back even if they manage to win.
“If some of the Independent candidates think that TMC will welcome them back if they win, they are wrong. Also, none of the Independent candidates will win,’’ said TMC’s secretary general Partha Chatterjee.
In the previous civic polls in 2015, only two dissident TMC workers had contested as Independent candidates.
This number has risen to 300 this time. The party issued an instruction to these dissidents, to distribute pamphlets admitting their decision of contesting was wrong and urge the voters to back TMC candidates, if they don’t want to get expelled.
Suman Dutta, former chairman of the TMC-dominated Gobardanga municipality in North 24 Parganas, had filed nomination as an Independent candidate. He was among the prominent leaders who declared that he will not be contesting the polls and distributed leaflets announcing it.
“After securing a sweeping victory in last year’s Assembly elections, outgoing councillors were desperate to join the civic polls fray because they knew victory will be ensured. After being denied tickets, many of them decided to contest as Independent candidates. This is an unprecedented rebellion in the party,’’ said a senior TMC leader.
In the recent Kolkata Municipal Corporation elections, three TMC leaders had contested as Independents and won. But the party did not welcome them even after they expressed a desire to rejoin the TMC.
“The party supremo has made it clear that there would be no place for traitors. If we allow them to return to our party, it will deliver a wrong message to the ground-level workers, for which we may have to pay a price in future elections,’’ said another TMC leader.