Panchayat polls: Trinamool to expel party members for filing nomination as Independents

Kolkata, June 17 (IANS) The Trinamool Congress will act tough against the party members who filed nominations for the July 8 panchayat elections in West Bengal as Independent candidates after being denied ticket by the party.

A decision to this effect was taken at an internal meeting of the party to finalise the strategy for the rural civic body polls, which was chaired by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and was attended by Trinamool's national General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, among others.

Addressing mediapersons after the meeting, senior Trinamool leader Kalyan Banerjee said that the party leadership has decided to expel the members who filed nominations as Independent candidates, adding that the doors of the party will be closed for them forever if they don't withdraw their nominations.

"My humble request to those who have filed nominations as Independent candidates against the party's consent is that they should withdraw their nominations. If they don't do so, the doors of the party will be closed for them forever," Banerjee said.

Banerjee also indirectly admitted that the candidates contesting as Independents have made things a little difficult for the Trinamool.

"As it is, we are facing a united opposition from the CPI(M), Congress and BJP. So the party members contesting as Independent candidates should withdraw their nominations to strengthen our fight against the trio," Banerjee said.