KOLKATA: The CPI(M)-led Left front must prove their relevance in West Bengal in the upcoming electoral battle, at a time when the political space has been captured by the ruling TMC and opposition BJP.
The Left alliance has been deemed 'non-existent' in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly since the last polls in 2021.
With the induction of prominent young faces such as Meenakshmi Mukherjee, Kalotan Dasgupta, Dipshita Dhar, Srijan Bhattacharya, Shatorup Ghosh, Sayandeep Mitra, Sayan Banerjee from CPI(M), the Left is putting up a tough fight in ‘possible’ assembly constituencies.
Admitting the difficulties that lie ahead, the CPI(M) is confident of a ‘Left revival’ in Bengal, against the backdrop of the increasingly bipolar contest between the ruling party and the opposition.
The first phase of polling in 152 constituencies will be held on 23 April. The second phase in the remaining 142 seats will be held on 29 April.
CPI-M and ally Indian Secular Front (ISF) may have some positive impact in their minority vote banks in five bordering districts North Dinajpur, Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia and North 24 Parganas.
“Our winnability in the assembly elections is important this time – though we will have to see how much of the prevailing sentiments in the state’s electorate is finally translated into our votes,’’ a CPI-M leader said.
“We are confident of getting back support of the Bengali Muslims, who are aggrieved with Mamata Banerjee for her stand on Waqf, OBC, SIR exercise, and Hindus disillusioned with the communal politics of the BJP. We are reaching out to the common people regularly to break the binary of the two parties,” Md Salim told reporters in Purulia district.
Bringing young faces to the front, CPI-M organised ‘Banga Banchao Yatra’ during November-December last year between north and south Bengal against the misrule of Mamata Banerjee government and BJP’s politics of religious polarisations.
For the first time in a decade, the Left-Congress alliance – formed in 2016 – will no longer stand united in the upcoming elections.
Both the Left Front and Congress have decided to go it alone in Bengal’s political landscape, long defined by its fierce ideological battles and entrenched loyalties. They will play an important role in the traditional arithmetic of power, where they may turn into kingmakers from spoilers.
“CPI-M is expected to win from several seats like Karanadighi in North Dinajpur, Jalangi, Domkal, Jangipur in Murshidabad, Uttarpara in Hooghly and hotseat Jadavpur in Kolkata. In some districts like Purba Bardhaman they will do better with a little spike in vote share but won’t get victory,” felt Biswanath Chakraborty, political observer.
“The Left, which had ruled Bengal for long 34 years, will have to show their presence in the legislative assembly otherwise their existence will be at stake,” Chakraborty said.
CPI(M) has fielded: Meenakshmi from Uttarpara; Kalotan from Panihati against BJP's Ratna Debnath, mother of the victim of R G Kar rape and murder; Dipshita from Dum Dum Uttar; Sayandeep from Baranagar; Sayan from Maheshtala; and Dhrubajyoti Saha from Khargram.
In the 2011 assembly elections in Bengal, when Left Front government was dethroned by the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC, CPI(M) had 39% vote share and in 2021, it came down to only 5%.
The Left will have to capitalise on many major issues including the deletion of around 91 lakh voters following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), communal tensions, invalidations of appointments of 26,000 teachers and non-teaching employees of state-run schools, brutal rape and murder of a woman doctor at the R G Kar Medical College Hospital, rape of a student inside her college campus allegedly by her student union leaders of the ruling Trinamool Congress, scams involving thousands crores of rupees and many others in the EVMs, poll observers felt.
