Elected, now unopposed

The Left Front8217;s win is as much about its success in fragmenting the Opposition as it8217;s about economic reforms. The result: no party has the numbers needed to make up the opposition

THE Left Front8217;s victory for the seventh consecutive term with 235 seats in a House of 294 has thrown up a legislative crisis: no party on the other side has the minimum number required to claim the status of an opposition.

Under the rules, a party has to get at least 10 per cent of the seats to claim the status of the official Opposition party. And so West Bengal has no opposition party and so no leader of the Opposition!

Neither Mamata Banerjee8217;s Trinamool Congress nor the Indian National Congress has the required 30 seats8212;the Trinamool has just 29 seats and the Congress 21.

This crisis, however, is indicative of a bigger picture of the Left victory in Bengal. Its victory is as much about its success in fragmenting the Opposition as it is about land reforms and economic reforms.

So, when the Chief Minister was asked if his party8217;s aim was to have an 8216;Opposition-less8217; state in Bengal, Bhattacharjee looked a little uneasy. 8216;8216;It is good to have a strong Opposition. It makes the government alert. But unfortunately their number is dwindling. I can8217;t help increase their numbers,8217;8217; he said.

THE Left8217;s success is also a story of how the Trinamool and Congress candidates split the anti-Left votes to pave the way forthe Left8217;s victory. This time, over 70 assembly segments could have gone either to the Congress or to the Trinamool Congress if the Opposition had not been fragmented.

One of the stalwarts of the West Bengal Pradesh Congress, Shankar Singh, lost in Ranaghat West to the CPI M by a slim margin. The Trinamool candidate here got as many as 20,000 votes, spoiling Singh8217;s turf. The story repeated itself in Coochbehar, Falta, Hanshkhali, Hariharpara, Harishchandrapur, Hirapur, Howrah Central, Islampur, Itahar, Jagaddal, Jorabagan, Karandighi, Krishnaganj and Manicktala among others.

Story continues below this ad

THE anti-Left vote8217;s fragmentation is as much the result of the political and tactical blunders of the Trinamool and the Congress, as it is the result of the meticulous manipulations by the Left, particularly the Communist Party of India Marxist.

The Marxists8217; core strategy is to keep the fissures among various factions of the Opposition alive and simmering. In addition, concessions and privileges are doled out like allotment of government land, administrative and police help in disputes or in running business enterprises. A large number of Pradesh Congress leaders are beneficiaries of such government land and other privileges.

THE 2006 Bengal election is also about one man8212;Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee8212; and his growing clout in government and the party.

The 8216;spirit of the massive mandate is clear,8217;8217; said Bhattacharjee. 8216;8216;It is a decisive victory.8217;8217; No one knows better than Bhattacharjee what this victory means for him. big way.