The Hindu : National : Left Front captures 35 seats

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Friday, May 14, 2004

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National

Left Front captures 35 seats

By Malabika Bhattacharya

KOLKATA, MAY 13. The ruling CPI(M)-led Left Front has captured 35 of the 42 parliamentary seats in West Bengal that went to the polls on May 10.

Like the other metros — Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad — Kolkata, too, rejected the NDA (the Trinamool and the BJP). The CPI(M) won the prestigious Kolkata North-West (after a gap of 48 years ), Kolkata North-East (20 years) Jadavpur (eight years )and Dum Dum (six years). The CPI(M)'s Mohammad Salim, a Minister in the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Government defeated the Trinamool's six-time winner Ajit Panja. Tabulation of ballots for Kolkata North-East, Diamond Harbour in South 24-Parganas district and Murshidabad began after 2 p.m. as repolling in certain booths took place this morning. Trends showed Trinamool's Saugata Ray trailing the CPI(M)'s Samik Lahiri by nearly 42,000 ballots. The Congress' Abdul Mannan Hossain was leading in Murshidabad.

``People have rejected the NDA across the country. The Trinamool, as an NDA partner, paid the price of going with the BJP,'' Biman Bose, CPI(M) politburo member and Left Front Chairman, said.

Subrata Bose (Forward Bloc) trounced Ranjit Panja in the Barasat constituency by a margin of nearly 11,000 votes. Pranab Mukherjee of the Congress won the Jangipur seat in Murshidabad district by a margin of nearly 48,500 votes.

The Trinamool Congress chief, Mamata Banerjee, who had earlier won the Kolkata South four times since 1991 notched up a win again by a margin of 98,429 votes. In 1999, she had won by a margin of 2,14,008 ballots.

The BJP, which had hoped to retain Krishnanagar in Nadia district and Dum Dum in North 24-Parganas district, had virtually nothing to show. The party had put up 13 nominees for the poll. Satyabrata Mukherjee and Tapan Sikdar, both Union Ministers in the Vajpayee Government, were defeated by CPI(M)'s Jyotirmoyee Sikdar and Amitava Nandy respectively. Ms. Sikdar won by a margin of 16,000 and Mr.Nandy by 98,000 votes.

Traditionally a CPI(M) seat, Krishnanagar slipped out of the Marxists' grip in 1991 when Mr. Mukherjee won by a margin of 22,234 ballots.

On the other hand, Mr. Sikdar had won Dum Dum twice before, a constituency considered to be a Marxist citadel till 1998 when he won by a margin of 1,34,561 votes.

As news of the Left Front's spectacular victory spread jubilant supporters streamed into the streets of Kolkata and elsewhere bursting crackers, raising slogans and holding aloft banners and flags.

Loyal supporters of contesting parties waited outside counting centres all through in the searing summer heat to learn the trends. In different parts of Bengal, processions were taken out by victorious candidates.

It is will be for the second time after 1956 a Marxist candidate has been elected from Kolkata North-west. Eye-catcher in 2004,

The constituency grabbed headlines as the Trinamool's rebel candidate, Sudip Bandopadhyay, challenged the party's official nominee, Subrata Mukherjee, also mayor, as Congress-backed independent.

Mr. Bandopadhyay cut deep into Mr. Mukherjee's votebank, paving the way for CPI(M)'s Sudhangsu Seal of the CPI(M) has won the seat by a margin of 63,000 votes.

By all accounts, the poll outcome was a stunning blow to Trinamool which till Wednesday seemed confident of doubling its tally. In the final count, the Marxists succeeded in taking away from Trinamul at least seven seats.

The party that rose like a phoenix out of Trinamool's ruins was none other than Pranab Mukherjee's Bengal Congress.

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