Queenmakers

A section of the left supporters and Muslims gave Mamata a historic win

- RABI BANERJEE

In the run-up to the state elections, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, sitting in a wheelchair, pleaded: “Those who have supported the leftists for many years, please support me this time. You should know that the BJP cannot be your choice.”

Interestingly, many of them listened to her.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, many left supporters had voted for the BJP, giving it 18 of 42 seats in the state. Their slogan was: “Ebar Ram, pore bam” (this time Ram, next time left). This time, however, these left voters went against the BJP. They were apparently angry with the Narendra Modi government. “People suffered during the lockdown and the pandemic,” said Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Tanmoy Bhattacharya. “So, they thought they should vote for the party which, according to them, could serve their purpose.”

Compared with the 2019 elections, the BJP’s vote share went down by nearly 2 per cent and the Trinamool got around 5 per cent more. The left-Congress alliance lost around 9 per cent of its votes, said Congress MP Pradip Bhattacharya. This, too, seems to have gone to the Trinamool.

However, interestingly, in at least 65 seats where the BJP could have won, the left got around 15 per cent or more votes, spoiling the former's chances.