The Trinamool Congress, the ruling party in West Bengal, India, will continue with the ‘One Leader, One Position’ policy. This means that the leaders of the party can hold any position, not more. This was announced by Trinamool leader Mamata Banerjee. However, Mamata has moved away from her declared position. In the Calcutta Municipal Corporation elections, he has nominated some leaders who are already in important positions in the Trinamool Congress.
Trinamool Congress has nominated one MP, six MLAs and family members of influential ministers and leaders of the party in this year’s Kolkata Municipal Corporation elections. Basically, through this, one leader moved away from the one-post policy.
The Trinamool Congress has nominated 70 male and 64 female candidates out of 144 seats in this year’s Kolkata Municipal Corporation elections. 23 of them are in the minority. 39 new faces. The current 39 councilors have been left out.
Among the party members nominated are Mamata’s brother-in-law Kazri Bandyopadhyay, MP Shantanu Sen’s wife Kakli Sen, Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya’s son Sourav Basu, Minister Shashi Panja’s daughter Pooja Panja, MLA Swarnakamal Saha’s son Sandipan Sahappa, Prayatna. MLA Ratna Chattopadhyay, wife of former mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation Shovan Chattopadhyay, son and daughter of Councilor Tarak Singh.
Incumbent municipal administrator and state transport minister Firhad Hakim, former deputy mayor and councilor Atin Ghosh, Debashish Kumar and six other councilors have also received nominations from the Trinamool.
Babul Supriya was not nominated.
Trinamool did not nominate Babul Supriya in this year’s election of Calcutta Municipal Corporation. Babul Supriya is a renowned musician, former BJP MP and Union Minister. He recently joined the grassroots from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). After joining the Trinamool on September 16, speculations started in the party about Babul Supriya. Many thought that the Trinamool might make Babul Supriya a member of the state cabinet or a member of the Rajya Sabha.
But after Babul Supriya joined the Trinamool Congress, by-elections to the West Bengal Legislative Assembly and elections to the vacant Rajya Sabha seats were held. Mamata did not nominate Babul Supriya in these elections. Rumors have been circulating since then that the Trinamool may appoint him as the mayor of Kolkata. But Babul Supriya’s name is not in the list of names announced by the Trinamool nominees on Friday.
Though Babul Supriya did not get the nomination, Mamata has nominated former Trinamool MP Sushmita Dev and former Goa Chief Minister Faleiro as candidates for two vacant Rajya Sabha seats.
Babul Supriya became the first MP in Asansol constituency of Burdwan in 2014. Then he became the Union Minister of State. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, he again became an MP from Asansol constituency. However, in this year’s assembly elections, the BJP nominated him for the post of MLA in Tollygunge constituency. In that election, Babul Supriya lost.
He then remained in politics with his former MP post. But he was left out during the reshuffle of the Union Cabinet on July 8. Debashree Chowdhury, another state minister of the state, was also left out. Instead, the BJP included four new state ministers from the state in the Union Cabinet. Babul Supriya left the party and joined the grassroots as he could not accept the BJP’s move.
