Left's political existence at stake in Bengal

Kolkata, May 22: With CPI(M)-led Left Front decimated in the Assembly polls in the erstwhile red citadel of West Bengal, a politburo member has acknowledged that its alliance with the Congress went against the party which faces serious questions over its existences if it fails to check the erosion of vote bank.

Once invincible CPI(M) led Left Front, which had kept aside its "ideological convictions" to align with its one time foe Congress to oust the Trinamool Congress regime in Bengal, is the "biggest loser" in the polls as its tally dropped from 62 seats in 2011 to just 32 seats in the recently ended Assembly elections.

"If we can't check the further erosion of our vote bank and support base then we are ought to face serious questions over the very existence of CPI(M) and Left in Bengal. We have not only failed to gauge the mood and pulse of the people but also to regain our lost strength in last five years," CPI(M) politburo member and former MP Hanan Mollah said.

Mollah further said the alliance with the Congress was not accepted by the masses. "We tried to forge an alliance with Congress in order to stop the division of anti-TMC votes. It has rather gone against us. The people didn't accept this alliance.

We cannot deny that people have voted for Mamata Banerjee and the TMC in large numbers, irrespective of the fact that there has been issues of unemployment, corruption and lack of industrialisation."

"We need to asses what went wrong whether it was our electoral line or alienation with the masses," Mollah said. Mollah's comments can be gauged from the fact that the Left's vote share has dipped by near about 19 per cent since 2009.

The CPI(M) led Left Front which has received 43.6 per cent in 2009 Lok Sabha polls received 41 per cent votes in 2011 Assembly polls, when it was ousted from power after 34 years of uninterrupted rule.

In 2014 Lok Sabha polls Left Front had received 29 percent votes which was reduced to all time low of 24 percent in 2016.

PTI