Malda, May 5: Rift in the Malda Trinamul has cast a cloud over minister Krishnendu Chowdhury's chances of heading the Englishbazar municipality once again.

Sources said a section of Trinamul councillors owing allegiance to Krishnendu's cabinet colleague Sabitri Mitra were opposed to his candidature for the post of the chairman of the civic body.

Trinamul has won 15 of the 29 wards of the Englishbazar municipality giving it the numbers to form the civic board. Although Krishnendu's name has not been mooted officially for the post of the chairman, he is considered as a frontrunner for the position. Trinamul chief Mamata Banerjee is slated to announce the names of the chairpersons of municipalities won by the party across the state in Calcutta tomorrow.

Those close to Krishnendu, the minister for food processing and horticulture, haven't forgotten the events of 2005 when the Congress-Trinamul combine, despite cornering 13 of the 25 wards, could not head the civic board. In that year, the Left won 10 seats and had the support of an Independent. One ward went to the BJP.

However, during the elections to the posts of chairman, two votes from the Trinamul-Congress camp were cast in favour of the Left and Nihar Ghosh, a CPM-backed Independent, was elected as the chairman. Ghosh has won the elections this time as a CPM-backed Independent.

According to followers of Sabitri, the minister of state for relief and refugee rehabilitation, Krishnendu's "arrogance" and "misbehaviour" were the main reasons going against him.

"Krishnendu is known for his unilateral way of functioning. He acts unilaterally and never bothers to take others into confidence. Hence, outgoing vice-chairman of the civic body, Babla Sarkar, and Amlan Bhaduri, a newly-elected councillor and president of the Trinamul Youth Congress, are thinking twice before making it easy for Krishnendu to sit once again in the chairman's post. Bhaduri and Sarkar are both known to be close to Sabitri. There are two-three other councillors who are opposed to Krishnendu," said a Trinamul source.

The civic body has 29 wards and seven of them were won by the Left Front. Three seats went to the BJP and two to the Congress. Left-backed Independents emerged victorious in the remaining two wards.

The date of the formation of the civic board has not been announced by the state government yet.

Krishnendu made it clear that it was all up to the party high command to decide on the posts. "Mamata Banerjee will decide who will be chairman and vice-chairman of Englishbazar. I have nothing to say about the matter," he said.

Malda Trinamul president, Moazzem Hossain, also remained non-committal about the matter. "Mamata Banerjee will be announcing the names of the civic chiefs of all the municipalities we have won in Calcutta tomorrow. This will be done in the presence of the elected councillors from across the state. Before that I have nothing to say," Hossain said.