Since its inception in 1980, BJP alone has dramatically increased its vote share close to 40 percent this time. Votes have been transformed into saffron camps helping BJP to grab 18 out of 42.
BJP worker wearing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mask and others celebrate after the party led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was set to retain power for another five years after making a sweep of the 2019 Lok Sabha battle and mauling the opposition; in Kolkata, on May 23, 2019. (Photo: IANS)
The CPI-M-led Left Front is all set to lose its political existence with dramatic rise in the vote percentage of the BJP in Bengal.
The results of the parliamentary elections in 42 constituencies in Bengal showed how BJP has increased its vote banks four times during the past three years since 2016 when Assembly polls were held in the state.
The Left-Congress alliance had bagged more than 40 percent votes in the last Assembly elections while it was about 11 percent for the BJP and for the ruling Trinamool Congress, the vote share was 45.71 percent.
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Making an aggressive penetration in Bengal for the first time since its inception in 1980, BJP alone has dramatically increased its vote share close to 40 percent this time. Thus, it has virtually made the CPI-M into a mere marginalised political party and at the same time the saffron party set a strong challenge before the Trinamool Congress hardly two years ahead of the Assembly elections scheduled in 2021 in the state.
CPI-M state secretary Dr Surya Kanta Mishra while reacting to election results, told reporters at the party’s headquarters at Alimuddin Street today, “It’s a major setback to us and we will review the poll debacle.”
The Left has got hardly eight percent votes in parliamentary elections suffering a major landslide in their vote banks. With this, Left votes have been transformed into the saffron camps helping the BJP to grab minimum 18 seats so far the trends of results showed till late in the night.
In many seats – Arambag, Asansol, Balurghat, Bongaon, Bankura, Barasat – considered as the Left citadel before 2011 when Trinamool Congress came to power in the state, Front has virtually been washed out with hardly seven percent votes on an average.
Having more than 19 percent votes, CPI-M has performed little better only in Jadavpur parliamentary seat where it pitted lawyer Mr Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya against actress Mimi Chakraborty of Trinamool Congress.
Some political analysts felt that the election results showed how Left are losing its relevance in politics despite their pro-people agendas. There is no third party in Bengal because it was a direct fight between Trinamool Congress and BJP.
“We did not see the Left leading anyone of 42 constituencies throughout the day as the results were coming out one after another,” they added.
Speaking at a press conference in Delhi after the trends showed that the Left was virtually routed in its bastions of Kerala and Bengal, Yechury said it was time for the entire opposition to introspect.
Overwhelmed by its spectacular performance in the state, leading in 18 of 42 seats in Bengal, the BJP today attributed its unprecedented success to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s developmental politics in the interest of the nation and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee’s communal politics and the ruling parties reign of terror.
The BJP also said that the voters exercising their rights and voting for the BJP candidates is true reflection of the people’s faith in BJP.
Despite rigging, intimidation and attacks on thousands of party supporters by the ruling TMC, the people voiced their protest against the wrong doings of the TMC by voting for the BJP in record number.
Reacting to saffron surge in Bengal, BJP national general secretary and Bengal observer Kailash Vijayvargiya said trends showing a saffron surge in Bengal reflect the “anti-TMC mood” of Bengal.
“BJP’s surge reflects the anti-TMC mood. Despite so much terror in Bengal, the people have reposed faith in BJP under the leadership of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah. The days of TMC’s misrule are numbered in Bengal,” Mr Vijayvargiya said.
BJP state president and the party’s candidate from Medinipur Lok Sabha seat Dilip Ghosh said that people reflected their anger against Mamata Banerjee’s politics of revenge.
“Chief minister tried to polarize people in the name of religion and used to appease minority people to strengthen her vote bank. People gave a reply against her heinous politics today. People lodged their protest through the ballot so we secured the winning of our party candidates. I am confident that the party will cross the mark of 23 seats in Bengal out of the 42 seats,” he said.
With trends favouring BJP at the Centre and the party making deep inroads in West Bengal, the saffron party workers and supporters burst into celebrations outside its headquarters here and elsewhere. BJP workers were seen distributing sweets, shouting slogans “phir ek bar Modi sarkar” and dancing to the beat of drums in various parts of the state.
The CPI(M) party offices today wore a deserted look. The BJP and the ruling TMC had been locked in a fierce battle in West Bengal.
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