Nandigram: A unified front of opposition members and rebel BJP representatives moved a no-confidence motion against the pradhan of the BJP-led Nandigram gram panchayat on Saturday. Citing allegations of financial irregularities, they submitted a formal petition to the block development officer (BDO), seeking the pradhan’s removal.BJP seniors termed the move “unconstitutional” and “politically motivated”.The development was seen as a significant blow to the saffron party in a region considered a high-stakes political battlefield. In the 17-seat gram panchayat, BJP secured a majority in the 2023 rural polls with nine seats, while Trinamool and CPM held six and two seats, respectively.However, the current motion was signed by a coalition of nine members: six from Trinamool, two from BJP and one from CPM.Local Trinamool neta and district executive member of its minority cell, Sk Rafiq, alleged that the pradhan was involved in “unbridled corruption”. He claimed that funds earmarked for rural infrastructure, including road construction, were misappropriated without any work being executed on the ground. “Members across party lines have united to end this era of corruption,” he said.Abhijit Maity, secretary of BJP’s Tamluk organisational district, argued that state laws prevented the tabling of a no-confidence motion before the completion of three years of a board’s tenure. He accused Trinamool of “misleading” BJP members to orchestrate a crisis.The incumbent pradhan, Laxmikant, maintained that the move was legally invalid. “The law is clear that a no-confidence cannot be brought within three years. It is unclear how this petition was even entertained,” he said. BJP sources claimed that internal grievances were addressed and that the party remained confident of retaining its hold on the panchayat.
