TMC meeting to discuss panchayat results, LS poll strategy

The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) leadership has called an extended core committee meeting next week to evaluate its pancahayat poll results and decide its strategy for the Lok Sabha polls in 2019.

TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will address the meeting scheduled to be held on June 21, party sources said.

"This will be the first extended core committee meeting of the party after the panchayat polls. There will be assessment of the panchayat results and accordingly steps would be taken," a senior TMC leader said.

The TMC scripted a resounding victory in the rural polls bagging more than 85 per cent of the seats, while the BJP came a distant second, emerging as the main opposition in the state.

Senior leaders will also discuss the present political situation in the state and the country, and will also spell out its line of action for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in 2019.

"Our party is planning to play a bigger role in national politics. So it is necessary to win a large number of seats from the state," the leader said.

Changes at various levels of district leaderships are also likely to be made at the meeting.

The party is also likely to decide the fate of those panchayat members of previous term who had not been given tickets this time.

They would likely to be given important posts in the party to avoid dissidence and infighting, the leader said.