Showing a steady increase in percentage of votes is the CPI-M-led Left Front emerging as main opposition force replacing BJP in the state? Elections held in five municipal bodies in Kolkata, Bidhannagar, Asansol, Chandannagar and Siliguri and by-elections in several assemblies particularly after the assembly polls in the state in 2021 showed that the LF is getting closer to become the main opposition as compared with the vote percentage of the saffron party.

BJP became the opposition party in the legislative assembly winning 77 seats in the last elections while the LF that had ruled the state for 34 years could not win a single seat to make its presence in the Bidhansabha. Congress also does not have any member in the assembly. After winning 134 of 144 wards in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) polls in December Trinamul Congress today has also got landslide victory in all the four municipal bodies Bidhannagar, Asansol, Chandannagar and Siliguri.

Advertisement

LF has increased its vote share and reached second position in Bidhannagar and Chandannagar civic bodies eclipsing BJP that had emerged as the main opposition in the assembly polls. Trinamul Congress has got nearly 74 per cent votes while it is around 11 per cent for the LF in Bidhannagar municipality. For the saffron camp the vote percentage is around 8.5 per cent. In Chandannagar, the ruling party has bagged more than 58 per cent votes and the LF has done much better as compared with the assembly polls.

It has got around 28 per cent votes without winning a seat in the Chandannagar municipality. For the BJP vote share is nine percent. Trinamul Congress for the first time will form the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) that was ruled by the Left till 2020 bagging around 48.5 per cent vote share with 37 of 47 wards in the SMC. The opposition parties BJP, LF and Congress have given trouble to some extent to the Trinamul Congress in the SMC polls. BJP’s vote percentage in the municipal body is 24 while for the Left it is more than 17 per cent.

In Asansol Municipal Corporation (AMC) BJP has retained its position as main opposition with more than 17 per cent votes though the LF is getting closure to the former as compared with percentage of votes cast in the assembly elections during April-May in 2021. Trinamul Congress’ vote share is 64 per cent and for Congress four per cent. There has been a clear change in the trend of vote share for the opposition parties like BJP, LF and Congress after the assembly elections in the state.

In KMC polls, LF had come second in 65 wards in Kolkata while for the BJP it was in 48 seats. The LF had finished ahead of BJP by securing 11.87 per cent votes as against the BJP’s 9.19 per cent votes in the KMC.