New Delhi, November 10: The Left’s worst fears have come true. After the humiliating defeat in the Lok Sabha polls, the combine has been completely routed in both of its bastions in the by-polls. In West Bengal, the Left is trailing in nine out of the ten seats that went to polls; in Kerala too they were routed with Congress retaining all the three seats.
West Bengal reposes faith in Didi
The Trinamool Congress-Congress combine has won five of the 10 seats where by-elections were held.
The combine was ahead of their Left rivals in three other constituencies, according to reports available from different counting centres.
The Left Front, which had fielded candidates in all the 10 seats, was leading in only Goalpokhar constituency.
In Kalchini constituency in Jalpaiguri district, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) supported Independent Wilson Champamari wrested the seat from RSP, defeating Binoy Bhushan Karket by over 6,000 votes.
TC candidates won Alipore, Bongaon, Serampore and Rajganj seats, the last being wrested from the CPI-M, while Congress retained Sujapur seat.
Trinamool candidates were also leading at Egra and Contai South constituencies
CPI-M was trailing behind Trinamool candidate in the prestigious Belgachia East seat by over 10,000 votes after the fourth round of counting.
The seat had fallen vacant following the death of CPI(M) stalwart and former transport minister Subash Chakraborty, who had won from the seat for seven consecutive terms. The CPI(M) had fielded his widow Ramala Chakraborty from the seat.
It’s no secret that Trinamool chief and Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee is considering these by-polls as a dress rehearsal for 2010 when the state goes to next round of Assembly elections.
Congress holds ground in Kerala
The Left was also routed in its other bastion of Kerala with Congress candidates managing to retain all three Assembly constituencies that went to polls.
In Kannur, former CPI-M Lok Sabha member AP Abdulla Kutty defeated MV Jayarajan of the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) by over 12,000 votes.
In Ernakulam, Dominic Presentation defeated CPI-M’s PN Seenulal by more than 8,000 votes.
In Alappuzha, AA Shukur defeated G Krishnaprasad of the Communist Party of India (CPI) by over 5,000 votes.
—Agencies