The ruling Trinamool Congress is surging ahead by a massive lead in the civic polls of the state by leading in 80 seats of the 144-member Kolkata Municipal Corporation board and 67 of the 91 municipalities of the state. Left Front was leading in 13 seats and the Congress and the BJP were leading in 7 seats each of the KMC, according to trends available so far. Kolkata's Mayor and TMC candidate from ward from 131 Shovan Chattopadhyay, is leading over his nearest CPI(M) rival by a massive lead. Election to the KMC and the Municipal polls in 91 municipalities in West Bengal, is being billed as the "semifinal" before the Assembly poll scheduled for next year. Contrary to KMC, trends available for Siliguri Municipal Corporation showed the CPI(M)-led Left Front marching ahead by taking a lead in maximum number of seats. The counting of votes for the KMC elections held on April 18 and the municipal polls held in 91 municipalities began at 8 AM on Tuesday. Of the 91 municipal bodies, the TMC was leading in 67 municipalities, with some of them heading towards an absolute majority. The election to the 144-member Kolkata Municipal corporation was being viewed as a litmus test for all the political parties. For Trinamool Congress it was a fight to prove whether it still retained its popularity with urban voters, while for the CPI-M led Left Front it was an opportunity to see if they were able regain their lost ground. For the BJP aspiring to become a major force in the state after the Lok Sabha election, the civic poll would be a test of its popularity graph while the Congress, which has witnessed desertion in its rank, is trying hard to retain some pockets.
