Bishnupur by-poll: CPI(M) or Trinamool ?
By-poll to WB's Bishnupur assembly will be litmus test for both parties.
By Tamal Sengupta, ET Bureau |
KOLKATA: Thursday���s byelection to the Bishnupur-West assembly constituency in West Bengal will be a litmus test for both the ruling CPIM and the Trinamool Congress-Congress combine which is attempting to strike an electoral patch-up for the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls.
Byelections are crucial for CPIM as it will face a combined opposition in the seat. It will also be significant for the two opposition parties as they will be able to ascertain whether their joint effort could help them wrest the
seat from the CPIM.
The Congress has withdrawn its candidate in the seat in favour of the Trinamool Congress nominee Madan Mitra. Congress leaders claimed that by withdrawing their candidate, they have attempted to send signals among rightist political forces -- Trinamool Congress in particular -- that they are eager to go for a seat-sharing with non-CPIM parties to remove the Marxists from West Bengal.
Also, the two parties held joint campaigns in the Bishnupur West assembly seat to give an impression among electors that they intended to fight the coming Lok Sabha polls jointly to reduce the number of Lok Sabha seats the CPIM had won during 2004 parliamentary elections.
The result of the by-election will be known on March 1. The seat fell vacant following the death of former CPIM MLA Rathin Sarkar. During the 2006 Assembly election, Trinamool Congress and Congress had contested the seat against each other and helped the CPIM win.
This time the two opposition parties are fighting the election jointly, leaving no room for any split in non-CPIM votes. Moreover, the Bishnupur West assembly seat falls in South 24-Parganas district which is now under Mamata Banerjee���s control as her party has wrested the zilla parishad from the CPIM during the panchayat elections held in May 2008.
Accordingly, the CPIM will face a tough fight in the by-elections due to two reasons. First, its opposition parties are united and the Marxists would be unable to extract mileage by bringing a split in anti-CPIM votes. Secondly, the Marxists have lost control over the district after their defeat in the panchayat elections held in May 2008 and the zilla parishad is now under Trinamool���s control.
During the last by-elections held in West Bengal last December and this January, the Left Front had lost the Nandigram Assembly seat to the Trinamool Congress. Though the seat was not contested by the CPIM, but by the CPI, the defeat in the Nandigram seat certainly gave a boost to Mamata Banerjee���s party. During the last by-elections, the CPIM had also failed to wrest the Sujapur Assembly seat from the Congress.
Byelections are crucial for CPIM as it will face a combined opposition in the seat. It will also be significant for the two opposition parties as they will be able to ascertain whether their joint effort could help them wrest the
seat from the CPIM.
The Congress has withdrawn its candidate in the seat in favour of the Trinamool Congress nominee Madan Mitra. Congress leaders claimed that by withdrawing their candidate, they have attempted to send signals among rightist political forces -- Trinamool Congress in particular -- that they are eager to go for a seat-sharing with non-CPIM parties to remove the Marxists from West Bengal.
Also, the two parties held joint campaigns in the Bishnupur West assembly seat to give an impression among electors that they intended to fight the coming Lok Sabha polls jointly to reduce the number of Lok Sabha seats the CPIM had won during 2004 parliamentary elections.
The result of the by-election will be known on March 1. The seat fell vacant following the death of former CPIM MLA Rathin Sarkar. During the 2006 Assembly election, Trinamool Congress and Congress had contested the seat against each other and helped the CPIM win.
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The CPIM in 2006 had got 60913 votes in the Bishnupur West seat, while the Trinamool Congress and Congress candidates had obtained 56,653 and 14925 ballots respectively. The two opposition parties jointly had obtained 71578 ballots which was higher than what the CPIM had obtained.This time the two opposition parties are fighting the election jointly, leaving no room for any split in non-CPIM votes. Moreover, the Bishnupur West assembly seat falls in South 24-Parganas district which is now under Mamata Banerjee���s control as her party has wrested the zilla parishad from the CPIM during the panchayat elections held in May 2008.
Accordingly, the CPIM will face a tough fight in the by-elections due to two reasons. First, its opposition parties are united and the Marxists would be unable to extract mileage by bringing a split in anti-CPIM votes. Secondly, the Marxists have lost control over the district after their defeat in the panchayat elections held in May 2008 and the zilla parishad is now under Trinamool���s control.
During the last by-elections held in West Bengal last December and this January, the Left Front had lost the Nandigram Assembly seat to the Trinamool Congress. Though the seat was not contested by the CPIM, but by the CPI, the defeat in the Nandigram seat certainly gave a boost to Mamata Banerjee���s party. During the last by-elections, the CPIM had also failed to wrest the Sujapur Assembly seat from the Congress.
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Now the result of the Bishnupur West Assembly seat might help the people of West Bengal to study the trend even though parliamentary elections and Assembly votes are characteristically different.Download
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