STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
Siliguri, 7 July
Heavy rains prevented Union minister of state for urban development Mrs Deepa Das Munshi from rural poll campaigning at Kamrangaguri in Jalpaiguri this morning where the Trinamul Congress official candidate is contesting as the party&’s unofficial contender for a seat in the Fulbari-I gram panchayat.
Mrs Das Munshi finally informed her party leaders over phone that she would come on 13 July to campaign from Kamrangaguri to other areas covering Fulbari and Dabgram gram panchayats in Rajganj. The Congress leaders, workers and candidates were upset having failed to campaign on schedule and blamed the Trinamul and its chief Mamata Banerjee for the delay in resolving the matter of poll schedule at Calcutta High Court.
The objective of this poll campaigning at Kamrangaguri today was to capture power of Fulbari-I GP, which was under the control of the BJP and the Trinamul Congress over the past five years.
The Congress has fielded 18 candidates in Fulbari-I GP out of a 22 member-board. The Congress leaders could not field candidates in four reserved GP seats when they failed to manage caste certificate for nominated candidates within a short time from concerned authorities despite several efforts.
The Congress leaders expect that they would be able to capture power in Fulbari-I GP at a time when the Trinamul Congress candidates are contesting against the ‘unofficial’ party candidates in Fulbari-I area.
At 84 no seat in Kamrangaguri, three candidates belonging to the Congress, Trinamul Congress and CPI-M are contesting. Besides an Independent candidate, identified as a dissident Trinamul candidate is contesting here.  Notably, an Independent candidate, dissident leader of the CPI-M, was elected from this seat last time when the party leadership had not discussed with the local leaders before nominating a party candidate here. However, Mr Muhammad Soleman started campaigning projecting him as a Trinamul candidate here when the name of party candidates was not declared officially. The rebel Trinamul leaders lodged a complaint with the district leadership. But, the party finally nominated Mr Soleman&’s wife Mrs Hassinur Begum as party candidate. As a result, rebel ~ Mr Ramzan Ali ~ had filed his nomination papers as an Independent candidate against Mrs Begum.
Now the Congress candidate Mr Muhammad Israel and CPI-M candidate Mr Muhammad Ali are contesting against the Trinamul Congress here.