After being battered by many electoral defeats, the Left Front on Monday formed the board at prestigious Siliguri Municipal Corporation giving the Left parties fresh hopes of making a turn-around in the State.
Former Left Front Minister and senior Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Ashok Bhattacharya was elected the Mayor of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation, the second biggest civic body of the State.
Mr Bhattacharya is considered the chief architect of the victory of the Left Front at the Siliguri Municipal Corporation. He had contested election of a councillor and galvanised support of the Opposition against the ruling Trinamool Congress.
Despite winning 23 seats of the municipal corporation with 47 wards, the Left Front leadership was posed with a challenge by the TMC whose candidates filed nomination papers for the post of Mayor and chairperson of the municipal body.
Walk-out
In the election held during the day the Left Front secured a majority of 24 votes with a support from an Independent member.
Four Congress councillors and two BJP councillors staged a walk-out during the voting. Dilip Singh of the Left Front was elected as the chairperson of the civic bodies.
Soon after being elected, Mr Bhattacharya said that the municipality will try to implement new building codes in the wake of recent earthquake that shook North Bengal and created panic among the people of the State. He said that the board run by him will try to extend facilities to people irrespective of their political affiliation.
Elections to the Siliguri Municipal Corporation were held on April 25.
Of the 91 civic bodies that went to polls, the Trinamool Congress won majority in over 70 bodies.
