A Trinamool Congress legislator has announced a cash award for the booth that delivers the maximum lead for the ruling party in next year’s Assembly polls, prompting strong reactions from Opposition parties.
A video of Canning Paschim MLA Paresh Ram Das has surfaced on social media and local television news channels, where the MLA is seen exhorting party supporters to ensure maximum lead for the party in every polling booth.
“This time the target is to win (the Assembly polls) by one lakh votes. There are a total of 11 areas in the Canning Paschim assembly constituency. Based on the number of voters, the area that gives the highest lead will be given ₹1 lakh, the constituency that gives the second highest lead will be given ₹75,000, and the constituency that gives the third highest lead will be given ₹50,000. In addition, I will give ₹50,000 to the president and members of the booth that produces the highest lead,” the MLA was heard saying.
Mr. Das was speaking at a public meeting in South 24 Parganas on Sunday (March 2), and the Trinamool Congress MLA of the Canning Purba Assembly seat, Shaukat Mollah, was also present. Mr. Mollah said that the Trinamool Congress does not support the views of the Canning Paschim MLA, and he made the remarks in his personal capacity.
Volatile subdivision
While the State’s ruling party has always asked local booth-level functionaries to ensure that the party has an advantage in Sabha polls, this is the first time cash awards are on offer. The remarks are significant because Canning Subdivision in South 24 Parganas is a hotbed of political violence, and the region turns volatile during elections.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Sujan Chakraborty said that the remarks mean the ruling party will resort to malpractice in the next Assembly polls. Mr. Chakraborty also added that the Trinamool leadership will use the administration to ensure it gets the highest leads.
State BJP spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya said the remarks indicate that Trinamool cadres are not on the ground, and the party needs to offer cash awards to bring them out.
In the 2021 Assembly polls, the Trinamool Congress won all the 31 Assembly seats from South 24 Parganas. In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the Trinamool Congress won all the Lok Sabha seats from the district, including the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha seat, where Abhishek Banerjee won by a margin of over seven lakh votes.
Published – March 05, 2025 03:50 am IST
