Why did left front lose in West Bengal?


I saw the popular wave of West Bengal was in favour of Mamata. It also helps to win the Congress and Trinomul Congress front in west Bengal. Popular wave and the fighting against left front’s failure has given chance to collect good number of votes for Mamata and her party. On the other hand, the all India Congress has a fixed Vote in West Bengal, as an older party.

by Swadesh Roy 

(May 18, Dhaka, Sri Lanka Guardian) At the time of West Bengal assembly election, I was present in Calcutta for three days. I talked with many people of different classes. I talked with cab drivers, little shop keepers, booksellers, sales men, hotel waiters, wine servers, villagers (who came to Calcutta), and professors, journalist, intellectuals and other elites.

Having talked with them, I got an essence that; the left front of Bengal is going to trouncing. Therefore, before election result I started to figure out the causes of the defeat of left front. It was more or less clear that, people of West Bengal have lost their political confidence on left front. Why did they lose their political confidence on left front? The first cause of it, leadership crises of left front. Communist party of Marxist (CPM) thought that Bhudadev Bhatacharia and Biman Bose are their leaders. Whereas I got an essence that, people of West Bengal admit that, Bhudadev and Biman Bose are honest but not such type of leaders as Joty Bose and their past party secretary Anil Biswas were. It was the first election for left front without the leadership of Joty Bose. It was clear that, Bhudadev and Biman could not replace Joty Bose and Anil Biswas. 

We know that, to win an election a political confidence is a vital issue. After the death of Rajib, all Indian Congress was suffering from that type of leadership crises. There were many leaders in Congress but they cannot gain the confidence of the people. After joining of Mrs. Shonia Gandhi in Congress politics the all India Congress has overcome that leadership crises. After the death of Joty Bose and Anil Biswas the left front of West Bengal is passing the same period which was faced by all India Congress. On the other hand, Miss Mamata banerjee is able to create a confidence among the common people that, she is a leader of mass and basically the poor people. Besides, the elites of Calcutta don’t like the left front that much. There were some causes of it, because after getting power in 1977, left front took the policy that, they would reform the villages. They turn off their eyes to Calcutta and focused on villages. Middle class is always a privileged class. They never tolerate any type of curtail of their privilege. Therefore, left front is never a blue-eyed boy of the elites of Calcutta metropolis. On the other hand, in absence of mass people’s leader left front lost their position in villages. The leadership of Budhadev and Biman could not repair the losing position in villages before election. It is true, they are not capable to repair it. They are not that type of capable leaders. They are intellectual, honest but not the leader of mass. 

Besides that, left front has ruled 34 years. People of west Bangle start to think that, what new they will do. They are ruling 34 years, so if they come to power there ruling style will be same; so it is better to make a change. On the other hand, new generation of West Bengal are seeing that, they cannot compete with the other province like Gujarat, Delhi etc. They think it is due to failure of left front Government because; lefts are not able to give any more than they are doing now. They have done their optimum. Therefore, a group of young people support to Mamata Banerjee. Therefore, Mamata has got a support of young force. On the other hand, in any election a popular wave is on of the main objects to win the election. I saw the popular wave of West Bengal was in favour of Mamata. It also helps to win the Congress and Trinomul Congress front in west Bengal. Popular wave and the fighting against left front’s failure has given chance to collect good number of votes for Mamata and her party. On the other hand, the all India Congress has a fixed Vote in West Bengal, as an older party. It is more than thirty percent. Besides that, we were getting information and seeing symptom that left front has lost the support of minority community basically the Muslims. More than twenty-two percent Muslims population in West Bengal; but it is very difficult to find out why left front lose the confidence of minority? Congress and Trinomul are also secular party but lefts are more progressive. However, at the end, left has lost the confidence of the minority.

Singur and Nandi Gram were also a factor in the election; but it is true the people of West Bengal want industry. They want job. Lefts could not choose the way of industrialization properly. They could not convince the people. It was due to their training because, their workers mental make-up are against capitalism. Therefore, their workers cannot take it properly and they cannot deliver the reality to the people of grass roots. That is way, left front not only failed in their industrializations program but also they were portrait as a party against poor people, against farmers. Some people thought that, they are the representative of TATA or BIRALA. 

Besides that, many tiny causes work in the election of the West Bengal; such as a marriage of a Muslim and Hindu adults; the education policy and shift of the cultural elites from left to Trinamul –Congress front.


Tell a Friend