CPI(M) en route to extinction in Bengal

Kolkata: The Left Front, which had ruled Bengal for 34 long years, has failed to open account in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. In 2014, CPI(M) had MPs Mohammed Salim and Bodruddoza Khan. While Khan had won by over 18,000 votes from Murshidabad, Salim was elected from Raigunj by a margin of 1,681 votes.

A few days before the elections, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury had said that the party would score like Lionel Messi. However, the result shows that instead of scoring, the party has conceded same-side goals. Ina bid to take revenge on Mamata Banerjee, who has sealed the fate of the party in Bengal, CPI(M) has decided to vote for BJP. The poll trend shows that 23% of CPI(M)'s votes have been transferred to BJP. In the 2014 Lok Sabha election, CPI(M) had got 28% votes, which has now come down to only 5%.

This transfer of votes has become suicidal for the party. CPI(M) had fielded star candidates like Nandini Mukherjee in South Kolkata and former Mayor Bikas Ranjan Bhattacharya in Jadavpur. While Mukherjee has emerged as a distant second in South Kolkata, Bhattacharya has occupied the third position in Jadavpur.

The party had fielded Gargi Chatterjee in Barrackpore, Kaninika Ghosh Bose in North Kolkata and Nepaldeb Bhattacharya in Dum Dum, but none of them could put up any resistance against the Opposition.

Front partners RSP, Forward Bloc and CPI had earlier alleged that CPI(M) was backing BJP everywhere.