Kolkata gears up for civic elections

Amidst allegations of violence by the opposition parties and denials by the ruling Trinamool Congress, the city is geared up for polls to the prestigious Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), scheduled to be held on April 18

The opposition parties claim that this year’s poll atmosphere is among the most violent in recent history. But Trinamool refutes this image and believes that a lack of confidence is making the BJP and the Left make such claims.

Even though political violence has raised its ugly head in some places, it has mostly been low-key. In most places, violence has been indulged in by factions within the ruling party rather than among the two different warring parties. The BJP seems to have found a fresh confidence since the Lok Sabha elections last year but most pre-poll surveys, however, put them far behind the Trinamool.

Two pre-poll surveys by two leading media houses, one by AC Nielsen and the other by Epsos, have predicted a thumping majority for Trinamool. Both surveys also predicted that the Left, trailing behind in successive elections since 2008, is likely to score better than the BJP. While the Nielsen survey gives the Left around 22 seats, the other survey predicts a few less seats. The predictions for BJP, despite a much brighter presence in the poll fray, do not reflect the confidence of its leaders.