The Trinamool Congress (TMC) scored a decisive victory in the elections to the Kushkari Cooperative Agricultural Development Society in Banshihari block of South Dinajpur, routing the combined Opposition of the BJP, Congress and the Left Front. Defying pre-poll assessments, the ruling party won all nine seats, handing the alliance a 9–0 defeat.
The result is being seen as a significant morale booster for the TMC ahead of the Assembly elections. Sources said the BJP had viewed control of the cooperative as strategically important for influence in the Harirampur Assembly constituency, prompting its unusual tie-up with Congress, backed by the Left.
The TMC had also swept the cooperative polls in 2016. TMC block president Parthapratim Majumdar said voters rejected an alliance formed by sacrificing ideology.
