Kolkata: Seven months after its landslide win in the West Bengal assembly polls, the TMC Tuesday scored a hat-trick of retaining power in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation on the back of a thumping victory, with its candidates winning in 101 out of the 144 wards, and leading in 33 others.
The BJP won one seat and was leading in three wards, a senior State Election Commission official said.
The Congress bagged two wards, but the CPI(M)-led Left Front, which is leading in two seats, is yet to open its account.
Counting of votes for 144 wards of KMC began this morning at 8 am.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee thanked the people of the metropolis for the “massive” victory.
"I want to dedicate this triumph to the people of the state and ‘Maa, Mati, Manush' (mother, land and people - the slogan of TMC). Several national parties like the BJP, Congress, and CPI(M) also fought against us, but they were all defeated. This victory will show the way in national politics in days to come," Banerjee told reporters outside her residence.
“As per the trends, the TMC is leading in 33 wards and has won 101 seats. It now has a clear majority in the KMC. The BJP is leading in three wards, while its candidate Mina Devi Purohit won from ward number 22. The CPI(M) and CPI are ahead in one ward each and the Congress has won two seats," the State Election Commission official said.
As per ward-wise trends, although the TMC is way ahead of its rivals and the BJP is in distant second position, in terms of vote share, the Left Front has emerged as the main opposition in most of the wards.
The TMC has been in power in KMC since 2010.
In the last KMC polls in 2015, it had won 124 seats, whereas the Left Front bagged 13. The BJP and the Congress had secured five and two seats, respectively.
