Kolkata, June 22 (AHN) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday officially took control of the Zilla Parishad of East Midnapore district in West Bengal, the native district of Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari.

This marks the first time since the introduction of the three-tier panchayat system in West Bengal that the BJP has taken charge of any Zilla Parishad, the highest tier of the system.

Local BJP leader and elected Zilla Parishad member Bamdeb Guchait assumed office as the new East Midnapore Zilla Parishad president.

A few days earlier, the Trinamool Congress-controlled East Midnapore Zilla Parishad was dissolved after its president, Uttam Barik, resigned.

Barik, a former Trinamool legislator from Patashpur, had contested from Chandipur in the recent assembly polls.

Following his resignation, vice-president Suhasini Kar also stepped down, leading to the dissolution of the Parishad.

The East Midnapore Zilla Parishad has 70 seats. Previously, Trinamool Congress held 56 seats and the BJP 14, with two members later passing away.

At the general meeting held on Monday, Bamdeb Guchait and Jaydev Midya were elected president and assistant president, respectively, in the presence of 64 members.

Soumendu Adhikari, BJP Lok Sabha member from Kathi and younger brother of Suvendu Adhikari, was also present.

He said, “From the Centre to the state, from the district councils to the MPs and MLAs, all are now BJP members. With everyone, the overall development of the district and the state will take place.”