People's Democracy

Vicious Anti-CPI(M) Campaign Fails To Sway Bengal Voters

Inspite of vicious campaign on Nandigram, the Left Front has been able to not only retain the seats it had won earlier but also increase its tally in overwhelmingly large number of districts in the panchayat and municipal bye-elections in Bengal.

In East Medinipur district, in which falls Nandigram, the Left Front’s tally as a whole has gone up. In the seats contested in Nandigram Block III – which is adjacent to the disturbed area – the CPI(M) wrested a seat from Trinamul Congress.

In the Hoogly district, which includes the Singur Block where land was acquired, all seats have been retained by the Left Front, including two seats in Singur itself. The only place where the Left has lost a municipality it held earlier is Panskura. But otherwise on an overall basis, both in panchayat and municipal bye-elections and elections to 5 municipalities, the Left Front has fared well.

It is to be noted that this performance comes in the backdrop of an overall impression which was sought to be created in the state as a whole and on nationwide basis that the Left Front has lost political ground due to the unfortunate incident of police firing in Nandigram on March 14. Further this set of bye-elections and municipal elections also witnessed the most complete and unprincipled coming together of all opposition parties – the Congress, Trinamul Congress and the BJP – as a mahajot. (INN)

BENGAL PANCHAYAT BYE-ELECTION AT GLANCE GRAM PANCHAYAT

Total Seat                     Left Front                      Opposition

                                      2003  2007                      2003  2007

 398                                 249    256                       147    142

 PANCHAYAT SAMITY

 94                                   64      65                          30      29

 ZILLA PARISHAD

 24                                   19      22                           5         2