Left to take stock of poll results

The CPM Polit Buro is meeting on Sunday to dissect its debacle and the new political scenario they are faced with. Its partner in the Left Front, CPI would also do a similar exercise.

The party’s Central Committee meeting is scheduled on June 7 and 8.

The meeting which was originally scheduled to discuss the possible role of the Left parties in a hung Parliament will now be discussing issues of survival.

At the national level, party failed to forge a pre-poll alliance of non-BJP non-Congress parties and ultimately landed up in a situation where it does not have enough number of seats in Parliament, nor it has required percentage of votes to retain its national status. The party could get only 9 seats and it requires 11 seats; it has 2 seats less than the required number of seats.

Since its humiliating defeat in the last assembly elections in West Bengal, the party has hardly shown any sign of recovery. Even its attempt to put up a mass resistance against the alleged violent attacks by the Trinmool Congress could not materialise.

However, the party leadership is not in a mood to accept that a poor result might be a result of weakness within the party or due to adopting wrong policies.

Party general secretary Prakash Karat termed the poll results as “distorted”. He held booth rigging and violence responsible for the debacle. 

“The results do not reflect the strength and support of the people for the Left Front in West Bengal,” Karat said on Friday.   Karat, however, not admitting the fact the Party, off late, softened its stand towards the Congress and it benefited the BJP.

These are the issues which are likely to dominate the meeting. “Though the Party had worked for the rejection of the Congress, it is not happy with the outcome, as the main benefit of the anti-Congress mood has gone to the BJP,” Karat said.