CPI(M) Pins Hopes on People's Right to Vote for Change in West Bengal Elections

After a disappointing performance in the 2019 West Bengal Lok Sabha elections, the CPI(M) is hoping for a change in fortune, arguing that the outcome would rely on the people's freedom to exercise their right to vote.

Sujan Chakraborty, a candidate for the Dum Dum Lok Sabha seat and a member of the CPI(M) central committee, said that the people had seen through the "hollow" promises made by the BJP and the Trinamul Congress and that the "red flag" appears when no one else is seen as reliable.

"If people can exercise their franchise freely, then there will be a reflection of that in the results," he said to PTI.

The most central security troops would be stationed in seven stages during the elections in West Bengal, where poll-related violence has historically been a focal point.

Even before the votes were declared, the Election Commission sent several companies of central troops to the state as a confidence-boosting gesture.

Both in the 2019 Lok Sabha and the 2021 assembly elections, the CPI(M)-led Left Front, which dominated the state for 34 years until 2011, was unable to secure a single seat.

The CPI(M) has been attempting to make an impact on every significant issue occurring in West Bengal, from demonstrations against atrocities on villagers in Sandeshkhali by governing TMC politicians and their associates to livelihood and employment for youngsters, having begun preparations for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections relatively early.

After what it called a respectable performance in the state's municipal elections and the 2023 panchayat polls, despite alleged "electoral malpractices" by the governing TMC, it is optimistic about gaining some seats this time around.

Chakraborty, who has been traveling the state over the last several months, said that those who had put their faith in the TMC about a decade ago were now disgruntled.

He said that even isolated peasants have begun to rebel against "atrocities" inflicted upon them by those with links to the state's governing party, despite their dread of different types of retaliation.

"People's fear has now turned into anger with their backs against the wall," said Chakraborty, a former Jadavpur MP for the CPI(M).

According to the seasoned CPI(M) senior, some people who supported the BJP in the national elections of 2019 and the assembly elections of 2021 were switching back to the Left parties.

"They have realised that the TMC and BJP are the same - just two sides of a coin," he said.

Claiming that the people have learned this through painful experience, Chakraborty said that certain leaders of the TMC and BJP have switched sides.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the governing party in the state has nominated Krishna Kalyani and Mukutmani Adhikari, who were elected to the West Bengal legislature on saffron party tickets, while the BJP has put up former TMC leaders Arjun Singh and Tapas Roy.

He insisted that "distrust" for the TMC and the BJP was rapidly spreading across Bengal, saying that "if people can cast their own votes, the results will not be a happy one for either of the two parties." According to him, concerns among the state's citizens were the lack of employment, rising costs for necessities, and maintaining peace and order.