‘Decision taken locally’ — Arch rivals BJP and TMC join hands for a co-operative election in Nandigram

Incidentally, the co-operative society is under the Nandigram assembly seat area, where LoP Suvendu Adhikari won against Mamata Banerjee in the last state elections.

Elections for the Dinabandhu Co –operative Agricultural Development Society in Rampur under Nandigram, Purba Medinipur district, were scheduled to be held on January 5.

However, since neither of the parties placed candidates against each other, they won uncontested on December 14.

Arup Gol, secretary of TMC Bhekutia Anchal, said, “It is a decision taken by local people. Elections cost money. It would have taken Rs 2 lakh for arrangements for the elections of the co-operative. So, good-thinking people on both sides held a meeting and decided on a seat adjustment.”

“There is no political colour in co-operative elections. Local people have decided to make a seat adjustment. This will not reflect in other places or in the state or centre,” said Sudip Das, BJP leader and member of the Tamluk organisational district of the party.

However, BJP local leadership on the condition of anonymity alleged that if they had not entered this agreement, the TMC “would have won all the seats by terrorising the voters”.

“For that area, this was the best thing to do… That is what local leaders decided. At least now we have 18 seats,” said a local BJP leader.

Meanwhile, CPIM leadership targeted both the BJP and TMC over the agreement. Speaking to mediapersons, CPIM state secretary Md Salim said, “The BJP and the TMC are the two sides of the same coin. We have been saying this all along. There is a tacit understanding. The BJP’s opposition to TMC is a farce. They both did this to thwart the growing popularity of the Left in the area.”

However, senior leadership of TMC and BJP denied this.

“Co-operative polls are localised and some things are decided by local people. We will ask the workers and leaders of that particular area what actually happened,” TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said.

Locket Chatterjee, BJP’s former Lok Sabha member, said, “In Nandigram, Suvendu Adhikari, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, defeated Mamata Banerjee. There is no question of an understanding with TMC. The party will find out what happened.”