Bengal bypolls: Left goes ahead on own, as Congress keeps waiting for cue from top

As per the announcement by Left Front president Biman Bose, the All India Forward Bloc (AIFB) volition contention the Sitai seat, the RSP Madarihat, the CPI Medinipur, the CPI(ML)-Liberation Naihati and the CPI(M) Taldangra.

A root successful the Left Front said that for the sixth constituency, Haroa, they were successful talks with the Indian Secular Front (ISF).

Neither the Congress nor the Left has immoderate MLA successful the existent West Bengal Assembly, portion the ISF has a solitary legislator.

Of the six seats going to bypolls, the TMC won 5 successful the 2021 Assembly elections, barring Madarihat. The BJP, which won Madarihat, was the runner-up successful 4 others. In 1 seat, Haroa, the Rashtriya Secular Majlis Party (as the ISF was called then) was the runner-up.

Senior CPI(M) person Sujan Chakraborty said that Congress president Shuvankar Sarkar had reached retired to Bose lone connected Monday afternoon. “He wanted talks connected Sitai and Madarihat seats. Biman Bose told him we were waiting for 3 days but the Congress did not respond, and present we person announced our campaigner names. Now it is not imaginable to commencement talks connected spot adjustment,” Chakraborty said, adding that it didn’t mean that the confederation with the Congress was off. “Just that this time, it did not enactment out.”

While officially Congress leaders, including Sarkar, were silent, a elder enactment person regretted the nonaccomplishment to necktie up with the Left for the bypolls. Accusing the ruling Trinamool Congress and BJP of having “a hidden alliance”, the Congress person said this made it imperative “to proceed the confederation of the Congress and Left parties”.

A elder CPI(M) person said that the Left was besides assured of its chances successful the bypolls aft the agelong agitation by doctors of R G Kar Hospital. “We wanted to trial our occurrence electorally… And we are not against an confederation with the Congress but they should amusement immoderate eagerness too. Secondly, a information of our leaders and workers deliberation that, if we combat alone, we volition get overmuch much votes than we got erstwhile we had an confederation with the Congress. That volition besides beryllium checked retired by this election.”

The CPI(M) person added that the R G Kar agitation was besides a uncommon lawsuit of the ultra-Left and different Left parties coming unneurotic successfully. “We don’t privation to suffer the tempo.”

While the TMC is acceptable to marque this a canvass contented – saying it fits successful with its claims that the doctors’ agitation was “instigated” – the Congress for present looks the astir forlorn.

When it picked Shuvankar Sarkar arsenic its caller West Bengal chief, it was seen arsenic a bid by the Congress to repair its ties with the TMC successful the state. There had been nary emotion mislaid betwixt the TMC enactment and the erstwhile Congress Bengal president, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who held the station archetypal from 2014 to 2018, and past 2020 to now.

However, a elder Congress person admitted that the expected betterment successful ties with the TMC had not happened nether Sarkar truthful far. “He has besides been criticising the TMC government… Plus, helium is not arsenic progressive arsenic Adhir Chowdhury was.”

The Congress and TMC past came unneurotic successful the 2011 Assembly elections, erstwhile the TMC formed the authorities for the archetypal time. However, wrong a year, the confederation had broken.

The Congress and Left, erstwhile sworn enemies, came unneurotic successful the aftermath of the TMC’s success. They fought the 2016 Assembly elections together, with the Congress winning 44 seats and the Left 30, against the TMC’s 211 successful the 294-member House. The BJP won 3 seats that year.

However, conscionable a twelvemonth later, the Congress-Left confederation broke.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress won 2 seats, the BJP won 18 and the TMC 22 of the full 42 seats successful the state. The Left Front failed to unfastened its account.

Then came the 2021 Assembly elections and the Left again tied up with the Congress, arsenic good arsenic the ISF. The alliance’s abysmal result, with lone the recently floated ISF managing to triumph 1 seat, saw the TMC triumph 213 seats and the BJP 77.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, portion the TMC was a portion of the INDIA bloc astatine the Centre, including the Congress and Left, successful West Bengal, it fought separately. The Congress won 1 seat, the Left failed to unfastened its relationship portion the TMC won 29 seats and the BJP 12.