Kolkata: Ahead of the panchayat elections in West Bengal scheduled next year, Trinamool Congress on Monday carried out a major reshuffle in its district-level organisations.
Party sources said the reshuffle is also aimed at sending a signal to the party cdres at all levels to distancing themselves from corrupt practices in the backdrop of the recent developments related to the arrest of former state minister Partha Chatterjee and his close aide Arpita Mukherjee in connection with the multi- crore teacher recruitment scam.
During a brief interaction with the senior members of her cabinet on Monday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee made a subtle reference to Chatterjee's arrest by the ED.
"She did not take the name of Partha Chatterjee directly. But whatever she said was a clear instruction that she would not tolerate her party leaders being drawn into any case of corruption or financial embezzlement. She asked everyone present in the meeting not to do anything that could malign the image of the party," said a senior member of the state cabinet on condition of anonymity.
He also confirmed that a major reshuffle at the district-level party leadership has been carried out by inducting young faces with a clean image in their respective areas.
"As the Chief Minister said, a cabinet reshuffle will be effected on Wednesday wherein young faces with a clean image will be inducted," the state cabinet member said.
It is learnt that major reshuffles have been carried out in districts like Cooch Behar, North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur, Nadia and North 24 Parganas, where the district presidents have been changed.
A couple of district presidents might get berths in the reshuffled cabinet on Wednesday, party sources said.
"The reshuffle at the district level also became necessary as the Chief Minister announced on Monday that seven new districts will be formed by bifurcating Murshidabad, Bankura, North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas," the state cabinet member said.
Soon the number of districts in West Bengal will increase to 30 from the existing 23. The seven new districts will be Sunderban, Basirhat, Bishnupur, Ichamati, Ranaghat, Berhampore and Kandi.
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