In 2011 Left Front lost, in 2016 Left ideology was defeated: RSP slams hasty alliance

With CPI(M)-led Left Front decimated in the Assembly polls in the erstwhile red citadel of West Bengal, a politburo member has acknowledged that its alliance with the Congress went against the party which faces serious questions over its existences if it fails to check the erosion of vote bank.

Once invincible CPI(M) led Left Front, which had kept aside its "ideological convictions" to align with its one time foe Congress to oust the Trinamool Congress regime in Bengal, is the "biggest loser" in the polls as its tally dropped from 62 seats in 2011 to just 32 seats in the recently ended Assembly elections. "If we can't check the further erosion of our vote bank and support base then we are ought to face serious questions over the very existence of CPI(M) and Left in Bengal. We have not only failed to gauge the mood and pulse of the people but also to regain our lost strength in last five years," CPI(M) politburo member and former MP Hanan Mollah told PTI.

Mollah further said the alliance with the Congress was not accepted by the masses. "We tried to forge an alliance with Congress in order to stop the division of anti-TMC votes. It has rather gone against us. The people didn't accept this alliance. We cannot deny that people have voted for Mamata Banerjee and the TMC in large numbers, irrespective of the fact that there has been issues of unemployment, corruption and lack of industrialisation."
"We need to asses what went wrong whether it was our electoral line or alienation with the masses," Mollah said.

Mollah's comments can be gauged from the fact that the Left's vote share has dipped by near about 19 per cent since 2009. The CPI(M) led Left Front which has received 43.6 per cent in 2009 Lok Sabha polls received 41 per cent votes in 2011 Assembly polls, when it was ousted from power after 34 years of uninterrupted rule. In 2014 Lok Sabha polls Left Front had received 29 percent votes which was reduced to all time low of 24 percent in 2016.

Although lacunae on the part of leaders to feel the public pulse, alienation from the masses, organisational glitches, compromising on the ideological line of anti-Congress posture and a hasty electoral alliance with Congress seems to be the main reasons behind the rout, the Left leadership seems to be at its wits end to revive its base in the once impregnable fort. Mollah's colleague in CPI(M)'s politburo, Brinda Karat told PTI that the party leadership will examine the reasons for the poor performance of the CPI(M) and the electoral line adopted by the Bengal unit to draw proper lessons and revival strategy.

"The results indicate that several steps, from change in leadership to infusing fresh blood at various levels, that we had taken in last five years have failed to help us in reaching out to the masses. We really don't know what needs to be done to regain our lost glory as we have also compromised our ideological line," a senior CPI(M) state committee leader told PTI on condition of anonymity. CPI(M) politburo member Mohammed Salim, one of the main architects of Congress-CPI(M) alliance on the day of results on May 19, had pointed fingers at Congress.

"The Left voters extended their wholehearted support to the Congress, but I feel there remains a question mark over Congress votes coming to us," Salim had said. The Congress seems to have benefited from the alliance and bettered its vote percentage this time to 12.3, compared to 9.09 per cent in 2011, when it had contested in alliance with TMC. The Congress bagged 44 seats and will be the main opposition party in the assembly pushing the Left to the third spot.

The Left Front allies Forward Bloc and RSP, who were against formation of alliance with Congress, blamed the CPI(M) and its "big brotherly" attitude for the rout. "There was a myth created by one of our Left Front partner that it is the people's demand to forge an alliance with the Congress. But actually it was not the people's demand. It was the demand of some of the leaders who just wanted to get back to power at any cost, even at the cost of ideology and principle. If you compromise with your ideology you will face crisis over your very existence," Forward Bloc general secretary Debabrata Biswas told PTI.

"In 2011, the Left Front had lost the polls but in 2016 the Left ideology has lost even before the results were announced. Those who don't have any mass base have been the biggest proponents of Congress-CPI(M) alliance," RSP state secretary Khsiti Goswami said.

Both Goswami and Biswas said the contradiction in electoral and ideological line adopted in Bengal, will have an adverse impact in the days to come.