Burdwan, April 28: The Congress today backed out of the opportunity of running the Katwa municipality in Burdwan through the toss of the coin after the party managed a tie with Trinamul.

The Congress and Trinamul have won 11 seats each.

The Congress MLA from Katwa who also won from Ward 6, Rabindranath Chatterjee, said the party would not stake claim to form the civic board. The Congress had been running the Katwa municipality since 1995.

"If we had won the toss and formed the board, we feel there would have been law-and-order problems in Katwa. So, in the greater interest of the people, we decided not to stake claim to form the board," Chatterjee said.

Katwa witnessed intense violence on the polling day as goons armed with muskets, pistols and automatic guns unleashed terror in most wards, firing shots and hurling bombs. A Trinamul worker was killed and two Congress cadres sustained bullet injuries.

A Congress leader said: "As there is no majority, there was a fear that Trinamul councillors would block any attempt to take up development projects. Funds would be blocked. The ultimate sufferer would be the common people. Congress workers in general also could get frustrated."

Burdwan Trinamul president Swapan Debnath said if the Congress backed out, his party would form the board. "We are yet to decide as to who would be the chairperson of the board," said Debnath.

The Trinamul president of Katwa town committee, Amar Ram, who won the polls from Ward 19, is a likely candidate for the chairperson's post.