CPI-M eyes victory in West Bengal

Like the last few parliamentary elections the CPI-M-led Left Front looks set to again sweep the polls. In 1999, the Left Front had won 29 seats, followed by Trinamool Congress with eight, Congress party with three and BJP with two seats. This time, the Left looks set to increase their tally to somewhere around 32 seats with the Trinamool Congress becoming a poor second.

The rural belt has always been the strength of the CPI-M. However, this time, they are all set to make a mark in the city of Kolkata also. Kolkata and the suburbs had for the past few years proved to be the nemesis of the CPI-M. The constituencies of Kolkata North-East, Kolkata North-West, Kolkata South, Dum Dum, Barasat and Jadavpur had all voted for either the Trinamool Congress or the BJP during the 1998 and 1999 elections. This time, however, some Trinamool heavyweights like Ajit Panja and Krishna Basu may bite the dust. The situation is such that even Mamata Bannerjee, who had a margin of over 2,13,000 votes in 1999, is having to fight for survival. There is no doubt that she will win. But the fact is that her margin of victory may very well come down to less than 50,000.

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But then why have the urban middle class suddenly tilted towards the CPI-M? Simply because the whimsical attitude of Mamata bannerjee has been a disappointment for the last couple of years. Bannerjee's lack of political acumen has been a major factor for the tilt. She herself however, does not believe that her party is under severe pressure. "I do not care as to what the media says. This time we will double our tally from eight," she points out as she rattles the names of the constituencies where her party will win. But ask her the reasons for her confidence and she stutters for an answer. Finally she adds, "This time the CPI-M won't be able to employ rigging the way it has been doing in the past. We are very happy at the restrictions employed by the Election Commission." But the crux of the matter however is that she has no political definitions as to why her party would do well.