A few months are left for the assembly elections in West Bengal. Now there is discussion that Congress, which is contesting the elections with the Left parties in 2021, may contest the elections alone this time. In 2024, Left and Congress had contested the elections together but like the 2021 elections, they did not achieve any significant success. In such a situation, there is now discussion that Left and Congress will fight this time without forming an alliance but will strategically support each other from behind the scenes. In such a situation, it is also possible that once again the assembly elections in West Bengal may be concentrated only between Trinamool Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The big challenge before the Congress, which is contesting the elections against Mamata Banerjee on one side and BJP on the other, is to establish itself in a strong position in West Bengal. The Congress party, which won 44 seats in 2016, was reduced to zero in 2021 despite fighting with the Left and other parties. At the same time, the Left parties, which ruled West Bengal for decades, are also struggling for their existence. In such a situation, it has to be seen how Left and Congress will fight alone and compete with BJP and Trinamool Congress.
What is the plan?
If we look at the condition of Congress in West Bengal, it is becoming weaker in every election. In 2024, it had won only one Lok Sabha seat of West Bengal. Adhir Ranjan Chaudhary himself lost the election from his seat. In such a situation, Congress wants to strengthen itself on its own when it has nothing left to lose. Congress knows that it alone is neither in a position to form the government nor has the capacity to become the main opposition. In such a situation, his effort is to focus on those seats where he can win on his own, without taking anyone else along.
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Congress leaders also believe that this election is going to be TMC vs BJP and there is no special space left for the third front. In such a situation, Congress will try its best to increase its vote share and try to win seats on its own wherever possible. Let us tell you that the Congress party, which got 44 seats and 12.4 percent votes in the year 2016, got only 3 percent votes in the 2021 assembly elections. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, it won one Lok Sabha seat and got only 4.7 percent votes.
What will the left do?
The Left, which is losing states one by one, is now left with the government only in Kerala. It has faced defeat in two elections in Tripura. Despite the alliance with Congress, it did not get any benefit in West Bengal. On the contrary, it had to hear from BJP in Kerala that it has joined hands with the same party against whom it is fighting here in Bengal. However, the leaders of the Left still want everyone to fight together so that the opposition does not get the benefit of the dispersion of votes.
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Let us tell you that in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections also, Left and Congress had contested separately. In that election, Congress could win only 2 seats and the Left did not get even a single seat. Before the 2021 assembly elections, both had joined hands again but to no avail.
It is also being speculated that both the parties will contest the elections separately but in the areas under each other’s influence, they will contest the elections only in name. There is discussion that this is being done as part of a strategy so that the position of Congress or Left is slightly better in the triangular fight.
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