Mamata Banerjee called the civic poll results a victory for national politics. (File photo)
Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress scored a landslide victory in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) election today, continuing its winning streak after the Bengal assembly polls in April-May and the recent by-polls. The party is set for a third straight term in the civic body.
The Trinamool Congress has won 134 of the 144 Kolkata Municipal Corporation wards for which voting took place on Sunday. The BJP has won three seats and the Left and the Congress, two each.
As her rivals stayed in single digits, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called the civic poll results a victory for national politics.
"Other national parties also contested but they are all defeated. This is a mandate of the people, for the people, by the people," she said.
"We won a landslide victory because I am a daughter of the soil. We work on the ground, not in the skies. We do what we say," said Ms Banerjee, whose recent political moves, including meetings with opposition players, have fuelled speculation that she is ready to play a larger role in the 2024 campaign versus the BJP.
The Trinamool, which returned to power earlier this year with a giant victory over its main challenger BJP, recorded big gains in the civic body since 2015, when it won 114 seats. The Left saw a big drop from its 15-seat tally in the previous polls. The Congress finished with fewer seats than before.
The Left and the Congress, after fighting the assembly election in an alliance, decided to contest the Kolkata civic polls separately.
One of the Trinamool's prominent candidates this time is Kajari Banerjee, the sister-in-law of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. She won at ward number 73, Bhowanipore.
The Trinamool has made big gains in the civic body since 2015
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation is divided into 144 administrative wards, which are grouped into 16 boroughs.
During the vote on Sunday, there were sporadic incidents of violence. Bombs were allegedly thrown at two polling booths.
In a letter to the state Election Commission, the BJP described the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) polls as a farce and alleged that the police failed to check violence.