AAP councilors protest against cancellation of mayoral polls
The party may move the court after taking legal opinion on the matter, said AAP leader Durgesh Pathak.
Soumendu Adhikari is all set to follow the footsteps of his TMC-tunrcoat borther Suvendu Adhikari and defect to BJP on Friday at a rally in Purba Medinipur’s Contai.
Suvendu announced the decision on behalf of his younger brother at an event in Nandigram’s Sonachura.
The development comes days after Soumendu was unconditionally removed as the chairman of board of administrators in Contai Municipality by Firhad Hakim, West Bengal’s Minister of Urban Development and Municipal Affairs.
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Siddhartha Maity was put in Soumendu’s position. Reportedly, he is considered close to Akhil Giri, a TMC heavyweight who is believed to be the strongest force against Adhikari family in the region.
Soumendu was the chairman of Contai Municipality till the term of the board expired in 2019. He was then appointed as its administrator since elections were postponed owing to the COVID-19 pandemic situation.
Meanwhile, Soumendu moved the Calcutta High Court challenging the West Bengal government’s decision to remove him from Contai Municipality. The first hearing of the case will be on January 4.
He had already hinted about his possible change of loyalty. “Lotus will bloom in every household. Wait a bit,” Soumendu was quoted as saying by PTI on Thursday.
Lotus is the election symbol of the BJP. Soumendu had not participated in the recent political programmes of the TMC in the district and a section of the party leaders alleged that he was supporting Suvendu’s mass contact programmes in the district for the last two months.
“Remember, we worship Maa Durga with 108 lotuses,” Soumendu told reporters at Contai.
At a public rally on Tuesday, Suvendu also said that lotus will bloom in his family and in entire West Bengal.
His father Sisir Adhikari and another brother Dibyendu are TMC MPs. They did not give any indication of leaving the TMC.
However, Dibyendu Adhikari on Wednesday termed the decision to remove Soumendu from the post of chairman of the board of administrator of Contai Municipality as “unfortunate, unexpected and unfair.”
With PTI inputs
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