There's nothing left of the Left in Bengal

The results of West Bengal Assembly elections on Thursday have changed the very political narrative in the state. The Trinamool Congress, a party which turned 18 this year is back in power for the second successive term.

While a 52-year-old outfit - the Communist Party of India (Marxist) is struggling to remain relevant in a state that was once considered the last remaining Left bastion. So what is left of the Left in Bengal? That is the question most political observers are seeking an answer to.

With merely 26 seats, this is the worst that the CPI(M) has fared in any Bengal elections since its formation in 1964. It may have lost power after three decades in 2011, but 2016 has seen it lose its very last vestige - the position of Bengal's principal opposition party in what was once a Left citadel.

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The CPI(M)'s vote share too has come down from 30.08 per cent five years ago to an alarming 19.7 this year. Once considered invincible, the mighty Left-front has now been reduced to a distant third in the West Bengal Assembly.

"People have rejected us. We accept the reality. We need deep introspection," veteran CPI(M) leader Rabin Deb strikes a serious note after his crushing defeat in Singur. Sixty-seven-year-old Deb is one of the many elder candidates fielded by the party in this election.

Other former ministers like Ashim Dasgupta (70) and Kanti Ganguly (73) have both lost, once again. Perhaps a sign of how the Left has miserably failed to induct new blood it its fold.

Reacting to the drubbing, the CPI(M) Politburo in a formally worded statement said, "CPI(M) central committee and the West Bengal state committee will examine the reasons for the poor performance of the Left front and the electoral tactics adopted to draw proper lessons."

But many now ask what lessons have actually been learnt from the steady electoral decline that began way back in 2009 with the panchayat elections in the state.

Today, stalwarts like Somanth Chatterjee feel dejected with the way in which the party is functioning. Ailing, and out of the party fold, Chatterjee does not mince his words.

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"They did not go out of their offices, didn't connect with the grassroots. They have forgotten the masses. That is the tragic part," laments the quintessential Bengali "bhadrolok" communist. Adding that, "electoral success should not be the sole focus and one must also connect with the people outside."

With the informal alliance with the Congress proving to be a political misadventure, questions are now being raised. "There was less time to convince the hardcore Left and Congress supporters to vote for each other. The alliance was too late, and not very well formed," Chatterjee feels.

It was none other than CPI(M)'s poster boy, former chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee who had publicly endorsed the "jote" (as they call the alliance in Bengal) by sharing stage with Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi in Kolkata during campaigning.

It was due to the insistence of Politburo members from Bengal like Buddhadeb and Surjya Kant Mishra that the party accepted the proposal of an informal tie-up with its ideological opponent. Now with its failure, the Bengal lobby is clearly on the back foot within the party as the blame game has begun.

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"We failed to win the confidence of the people. Some of their leaders used terms like 'unholy alliance' and informal seat sharing etc. The alliance didn't even take place in places like Murshidabad. When opposition gets fragmented it obviously gives an upper hand to the Trinamool," explains Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Bengal Pradesh Congress committee president.

While some in the Left have no qualms in calling it an alliance, others like Politburo member Biman Bose term it an informal seat adjustment. Only further adding to the existing confusion over the exact nature of engagement. Thus, while Mamata was busy campaigning, the Left and Congress leaders kept bickering over seats.

With the results out now, if the Left has gone from bad to worse, the Congress suddenly finds a renewed hope for itself as the new principal opposition party.

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"Naturally, it is the Congress party which is entitled to it. If you have to claim somebody as the prime opposition party then the Congress has to be given the recognition in Bengal now," says Adhir.

But the man, who for five long years had spearheaded the opposition remains adamant. He may have lost his own seat in Narayangarh, but CPI(M) politburo member Surjya Kant Mishra holds the fort. "I believe our endeavour to bring all Left democratic secular forces on the same platform, is still relevant," Mishra quips.

But ask the lady who has got everything going her way, and prompt comes the reply. "The CPI(M) has been the biggest loser in this alliance. It is their greatest blunder. They have compromised with their ideology. If character is lost, everything is lost. And they have lost everything," quips Mamata Banerjee.

Perhaps, Mishra could do well with a bit of advice from his political adversary.