In young, aggressive avatar, Left Front takes on BJP, TMC in Bengal

CPI(M) state secretary Mohammed Salim dragging out a “fake agent” of the Trinamool Congress from a polling booth in Murshidabad in the third phase of voting on May 7 is perhaps the most suggestive image of the Lok Sabha elections so far in Bengal.

It demonstrated the passionate fight the Left party is putting up in its existential battle in the state, and its chief is leading the charge from the front.

The aggression in 67-year-old Salim’s strides came from the new-found self-confidence in the youthful CPI (M) – the fulcrum of the nine-party Left Front in the state, observed Md Saduddin Arjoo, a political commentator and author.

The confidence witnessed this time has long been missing in the Left Front. It is a far cry from the perception that had taken root, particularly among its bottom rungs, in the run-up to the 2019 parliamentary elections, that the BJP could be an ally in its bid to oust Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress.

Eroding base

The wishful thinking let the party leadership turn a blind eye even as the remnants of its support base shifted to the BJP, helping the saffron brigade increase its vote percentage by a whopping 22.76 per cent to win 18 of the state’s 42 parliamentary seats.

The Left Front drew a blank, losing over 16 per cent of its vote share – thanks to the self-infliction.

When West Bengal went to Assembly elections two years later, the Left was still licking its wounds and had no stomach to challenge the bipolarity between the TMC and the BJP that was established by then in Bengal politics following the rise of the saffron brigade.

Even the alliance forged ahead of the 2021 Assembly battle with the state’s another dwindling political force, the Congress, was half-hearted. For the first time, both parties failed to secure a single seat in the state Assembly.

Left revival

When one has its back against the wall, the only option is to turn back and fight. The CPI (M)-led Left Front is trying to do that this time.

“It’s at least showing the intent to take the fight into the enemy camp,” said political analyst Amal Sarkar. “This intent is visible in its openness to new realities as exemplified by the shift in its long tradition of favouring veterans over greenhorns.”

Of the 30 candidates the Left Front has fielded as INDIA bloc candidates in the state, only four, including Salim, are above 60. Eight of its nominees are in their 30s. 

The youth brigade, apart from bringing a new vigour to the organisation, has introduced new ideas like the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in its campaign to establish an instant connect with young voters.

The CPI(M) set in motion its election preparedness much before the state’s two major political players – the TMC and the BJP.

A yatra and a rally

The party’s Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) initiated a 50-day state-wide 'Insaaf Yatra' led by its state secretary Minakshi Mukherjee this winter.

The yatra that culminated with a mammoth rally at Kolkata’s iconic brigade ground in January set the tone for the fight against the "corrupt TMC” and “communal BJP”.

The response the march got, particularly in rural Bengal, brought the party back into political reckoning. Its rallies, roadshows and street-corner meetings again started drawing crowds. More importantly, opponents are taking notice.

The TMC and BJP star campaigners who had almost ignored the Front in the previous elections are constantly firing salvos at it this time round, signalling its relevance.

“The word is resurrection I said on the day of Easter, if you remember,” Salim said, adding the Left, particularly the CPI (M), have taken many measures since the 2021 Assembly elections. “First, we turned our focus on youth… This revival is youth driven. Then we gave emphasis on training and retention. Earlier, the retention was a problem area because we could hardly provide anything for their (young cadres) livelihood and others,” he added.

Red volunteers

“So, we build up our student and youth movement in a way that these people can be retained and they become leaders and organisers. You have seen Insaaf Yatra. It was part of that process,” Salim told The Federal.

“The way our Red volunteers provided selfless service during the Covid-19 pandemic led to the realisation among the commoners that resurgence of Bengal is not possible without the Left Front,” he said.

The Front is pinning hope on these factors to turn around its electoral fortune. “This time, the voters have moved beyond the TMC-BJP binary because they have realised that there is a better alternative,” Salim claimed.

Much to his liking, unlike in the past, the Congress and the Left alliance appears to be getting traction in the grassroots. The Left is optimistic about transfer of Congress votes to its kitty. As per the seat sharing arrangement, the Left is contesting 30 seats and the Congress 12. The CPI(M) has the largest share, having fielded 22 candidates.

No easy task

“This time, the alliance has been built up from the bottom. The people on the ground, and not merely leaders on the top, are the most forceful votary of the alliance,” the Marxist leader added.

The revival Salim is hoping might not be as drastic and quick as its fall, cautioned Sarkar

Within 15 years, the Assembly tally of the Left was reduced to zero (in 2021) from 235 (in 2006). The state has 294 Assembly seats.

The Left-Congress alliance may not end up winning many seats in the current hustings because of its low-electoral base though it has turned the contest in around 20 seats into a three-cornered fight, he added.

The vote share of the Left Front dropped to 4.73 per cent and that of the Congress to 2.93 per cent in 2021.

Later springboard

A complete turnaround from there to win a significant number of seats is a daunting task.

As of now, the Front can focus more on increasing its vote share to a respectable level to use it as a springboard two years from now, when Bengal will vote to elect a state government.