MRS. AMINA AHMED

Vice-chairperson of Cooch Behar Municipality

Mrs Amina Ahmed of the Trinamul Congress is going to take oath as vice-chairperson of Cooch Behar Municipality on 8 July. Her party recommended her name to the chairman of the civic body Mr Biren Kundu and he would nominate her to the post on that day.

On Tuesday, Mr Kundu, who is also the president of district Congress, said that Mrs Ahmed's name was recommended to him on behalf of the Trinamul Congress and according to the alliance-formula adopted by the leaderships of both parties he would nominate her to the post of vice-chairperson. A special session of the civic board will be held on the occasion on 8 July, Mr Kundu said.

District Trinamul Congress president Mr Rabindranath Ghosh said the state leadership selected Mrs Ahmed's name for the post of vice-chairperson. Accordingly he recommended her name to the chairman of the civic body. After her swearing-in the alliance-led board would gear-up its civic services drive and initiate newer schemes for development of the town, he said.

It may be mentioned here that in the recently held municipal election the Congress bagged only eight seats out of twenty wards in Cooch Behar Municipality. The Trinamul Congress progressed from one seat to three seats in the election. The CPI-M got five seats and the Forward Bloc four seats. Naturally, to retain the power of the civic body the Congress approached the Trinamul Congress and sought support from them. Though in the election the parties fought against each other they agreed to come closer in the perspective of post-poll scenario. They agreed to form the civic board jointly. It was decided that the Congress will get the post of chairman as earlier, and the Trinamul Congress will get the post of vice-chairman. Accordingly, Mr Biren Kundu became the chairman once again.

In the Trinamul Congress there were differences over the post of vice-chairperson. Mr Dilip Saha's supporters argued that as Mr Saha won in the previous election too he should be offered with the post considering his seniority as a two-time councillor of the party. Smelling trouble over the issue, the district leadership of the party pushed the ball to the court of the state leadership and sought their opinion. After much deliberation the state leadership recommended Mrs Ammed's name. The argument behind her selection was that she is the lone minority woman councillor in North Bengal. It may be noted that her husband Mr Abdul Jalil Ahmed is a secretary of the state unit of the party. It is feared that Mr Saha may submit his resignation from the councillor's post on the oath-taking day of Mrs Ahmed.