Sunset for Surjya? Rout spells doom for CPM

Kolkata: Five years after it was voted out of power, the Left Front lost its main Opposition status in the 2016 assembly polls, and is fighting for survival. There are clear indications that the Left - particularly CPM - has suffered a massive slide, a trend that began with the 2008 panchayat polls.
The Left is now relegated to third place after Congress, its jote partner.
Knives are out for CPM state secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra for entering into a "suicidal jote" with Congress. Since a substantial section of the CPM ranks was averse to the alliance, unpleasant questions are sure to come up in the CPM state committee meeting on Saturday. Mamata Banerjee's comment on the "jote minus ideology" has only rubbed salt in the injury.
CPM mandarins at Alimuddin Street and party general secretary Sitaram Yechury will have to reply to a barrage of questions overthe unlikely jote at the CPM central committee meeting because majority of the politburo hadn't endorsed the jote. CPM politburo member Manik Sarkar, the Tripura CM, had openly spoken against the alliance while the poll process was on.
Provisional vote share figures bear out the Left Front's downward spiral from 40.42% in the 2011 assembly polls - which it lost very badly - to 29% in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and now a mere 25.8% in the 2016 assembly polls. Its seat share has increased slightly from 27 in the assembly segment-wise results in 2014, but this is far less than Congress' performance as jote partner. Taking cue from West Bengal Pradesh Congress president Adhir Chowdhury's apprehensions about transfer of votes from the Congress camp in certain pockets, CPM leader Mohammed Salim said on Thursday that a section of Congress voters didn't vote for Left candidates. "It appears that people did not accept this jote," the CPM MP acknowledged.
In perhaps the most stunning blow, CPM state secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra - one of the driving forces of the jote - lost in his home turf of Narayangarh. Only a handful of winners - especially Sujan Chakrabarty, Asoke Bhattacharya, Tanmoy Bhattacharya - survived to defend the Left in the assembly. Mishra, however, reserved his comment on the blame game that has already started after Trinamool's massive victory. "I cannot comment on this at the moment. What appears to us is that 10-15% of the silent majority voters decisively supported Trinamool Congress. We couldn't read this beforehand. This apart, there are a few seats, about 10-12, where Trinamool entered into a tacit understanding with BJP. A portion of Trinamool votes went to BJP and vice versa. Kharagpur town seat is a case in point," the CPM state secretary said.
Mishra instead harped on continuing with the jote in the fight for democracy and secularism and the "attack on the lives and livelihood of people". "We will continue with our fight inside and outside the assembly," the CPM veteran said. A peek at the Left's shabby performance in north Bengal, particularly in Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, and Cooch Behar and BJP's rising vote share in this region, are reasons for Left leaders to get annoyed.
Quietly nursing the several identities in this region - Rajbanshis and a host of tribals - BJP managed to make dents in various constituencies in north Bengal. The saffron vote share in Madarihat, Kalchini, Nagrakata, Malbazar, Mainaguri, Cooch Behar North, Sitai and Sitalkuchi points to the fact it has pulled more votes in these areas than its state average. "This is quite alarming. BJP has made dents in Left vote banks in parts of north Bengal. It's a matter of concern, especially with BJP sweeping to power in neighbouring Assam," said CPM leader from Jalpaiguri Zia-UL-Alam.
In south Bengal, the jote didn't click in districts such as Purulia, Burdwan and Birbhum, not to mention North 24-Parganas where Congress has a presence. "It seems people did not accept the jote. We couldn't make this jote credible to the people. Instead, Mamata Banerjee's delivery of goods in various forms seems to have made an impression on the beneficiaries," said CPI leader Manju Majumdar.