New political buzz in West Bengal

Once again a wave of change is being felt in the politics of West Bengal. The Left Front, which was wiped out in the 2021 assembly elections, is ready to enter the fray this time in a new and very strong form to regain its lost ground. A big announcement from Kolkata on Wednesday has sparked a new debate on the electoral chessboard of the state. This time, instead of going alone, Left Front Chairman Biman Bose has decided to form a ‘grand alliance’ by taking together old and new friends, due to which the voters of Bengal now have a third option.

Lesson learned from 2021 defeat, changed style

After the last time’s crushing defeat, the Left has made its strategy quite flexible and inclusive. According to the new agreement reached on Wednesday, out of the total 294 assembly seats in West Bengal, the Left Front itself will field its candidates on 252 seats. The biggest news of this alliance is that Indian Secular Front (ISF) has been given 30 seats, while CPI (ML) Liberation has got 8 seats. Biman Bose clearly said that the current environment is both a challenge and an opportunity for him. In 2021, the Left’s account was not opened and ISF got only one seat, so this time the alliance is taking steps with all its might.

Who is in the role of ‘elder brother’ in the alliance?

Even within the Left Front, the distribution of seats has been done in such a way that the importance of each constituent party remains intact. Like always, this time too CPI-M is in the role of ‘elder brother’ and will try its luck on 195 seats in the state. After this, All India Forward Bloc has got 23 seats, while CPI and RSP have been given a chance to contest on 16 seats each. Interestingly, one seat each has been left for RCPI and Marxist Forward Bloc. Additionally, three seats have been reserved for other social organisations, which the Left will support from outside. This shows that this time the Left wants to create a huge base by connecting every small and big group.

‘Chakravyuh’ to prevent vote splitting

The main objective of this new alliance is to unite the secular and opposition votes which were often divided among different parties and which benefited the ruling party. In this election to be held in two phases in West Bengal, voting will be held on 23 April and 29 April. Biman Bose’s strategy is very clear—if the opposition votes remain united, the path to power will not be easy for the ruling TMC and the main opposition BJP. Now it remains to be seen how much trust the people of Bengal repose in this new ‘third front’.