Now Trinamool’s turn: tension, clash over candidate selection

Ward 59 candidate Jolly Bose ‘beaten up’, husband claims CPM turncoat ‘wanted TMC to pitch his wife as candidate’.

Infighting in the ruling Trinamool Congress reared its ugly head on Sunday during the campaign for the Kolkata Municipal Corporation elections which is due next month.

In Ward 59, where TMC candidate Jolly Bose was campaigning door-to-door, a group of party workers, considered close to leader Sheikh Alam, who had left CPM to join the ruling party, reportedly attacked the group.

“We had reached Avinash Chowdhury Lane when three persons close to Alam started hurling abuses and then beat up our workers. When Jolly went intervened, she was caught by her hair and beaten up, too. She had to be admitted to Chittaranjan Hospital with severe injuries,” alleged Rabin Bose, Jolly’s husband and party president for Ward 59.

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He alleged Alam wanted the party to pitch his wife as the candidate from this ward but his request was turned down because he didn’t have any credibility in the area.

“People know him more as a former CPM muscleman who is now engaged in extortion and illegal constructions in the area. I have put in a written complaint at Topsia police station against him and his goons and have also written to our MLA Swarna Kamal Saha (who was with Jolly at the time of campaigning), MP Sudip Bandopadhyay, party general secretary Subrata Bakshi and Mayor Sovan Chatterjee,” Rabin said.

Saha confirmed he has received a complaint and will looking into it. “Our party’s stand is firm in this regard that indiscipline and attempt to create chaos will not be tolerated. We are looking into the matter and strong action will be taken against the offenders,” he said.

A senior official with the Topsia police station said that three persons have been arrested in the matter. “It was a clash between supporters of Alam and Rabin. We have received a complaint, initiated a case and arrested three persons,” the officer said.

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