Left re-emerges in Bihar, leading in 18 of 29 seats they contested

The 2020 assembly elections is witnessing a major re-emergence of the Left parties in Bihar, with Election Commission trends suggesting Red victory in at least 18 seats of the total 29 they contested as part of the Mahagathbandhan comprising RJD and Congress.

This performance is much better compared to the previous two elections – 2010 and 2015 – in the state. In 2015, CPI (ML) was the only Red party to have tasted victory with 3 seats. In 2010, only CPI had bagged one seat while others drew a blank.

This year, of the 29 parties given to the Left in the Grand Alliance, the CPI (ML) contested 19 seats, CPI six and CPI (M) four. With an impressive strike rate, CPI (ML) (Liberation) is leading in 12 seats and CPI and CPI(M) in three seats each, as per the trends at 3:39 PM.

The Left parties are leading in Agiaon, Arrah, Arwal, Balrampur, Bibhutipur, Darauli, Daraundha, Dumraon, Ghosi, Karakat, Manjhi, Matihani, Paliganj, Tarari, Warisnagar, Ziradei, Bachhwara, and Bakhri seats.

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“The leads so far are on the expected lines and we hope to catch up in three more seats. This was a different kind of election. This was more a people’s movement. We banked on young candidates, student leaders, candidates who were part of farmer struggles, working class people. That seems to have worked,” Dipankar Bhattacharya, general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation, said.

Even though the CPI and CPM have supported the RJD, it is the first time that the CPI (M-L) has joined the Grand Alliance.

Though the NDA is leading the polls, quite contrary to what was predicted, the exit polls, however, has got one fact right–the Left faring well in this election.

Analysts say the reason the Left parties have performed relatively well is because of mutual conversion of votes with the RJD and Congress, and by dint of being cadre-based parties, which further enabled the reach of the Grand Alliance. The Left Parties had actively promoted the economic justice that RJD has promised.