CPI(M)-Led Left Front Has Become Victim Of Binary Politics In Bengal

West Bengal is going to the state assembly polls in March-April 2026. The election fever has soared high with the visits of the BJP leaders Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Home Minister Amit Shah to the state which is being ruled by the Trinamool Congress led by the chief minister Mamata Banerjee who has emerged through her actions as a national opposition leader to confront the BJP Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In the last two days, the political tensions in Bengal involving the BJP and the ruling TMC reached new high as Mamata Banerjee intervened during the searches made by the ED at the offices and premises of TMC’s political consultant I-Pac. She went to the premises during the search operations and took away a number of files alleging that ED was taking away the files containing the poll preparation information of TMC. ED on the other hand alleged that this had nothing to do with that, their officials were looking at the documents in an old ED case relating to money laundering. Both sides have gone to the Kolkata High Court and the hearing is on involving the centre and the state government.

Whatever be the Court decision, the moot issue is that the BJP is desperate to capture power in Bengal through 2026 polls. For the BJP high command, it is now or never. The BJP high command is doing everything possible under the leadership of Amit Shah to ensure defeat of the TMC in the coming polls. So far, the BJP has won all the recent assembly elections including Bihar few weeks back. Soon after the convincing Bihar victory, the BJP leaders said that the next is Bengal. The BJP tide will overflow the shores of Bengal this time, the BJP high command said.

Within this bitter tussle between the ruling TMC and the opposition BJP in Bengal, the political tragedy is that there is a total polarization between these two parties keeping little scope for a third force. The binary of the TMC and the BJP is too entrenched in the state’s politics. The Left Front led by the CPI(M) has turned into a bystander watching from the sidelines with no power to intervene in changing the course of polity in Bengal. The CPI(M) which ruled Bengal from 1977 till the 2011 state assembly elections, has no seat in the assembly. In the last five years, the CPI(M) launched a lot of movements including the latest Save Bengal movement last month, but the leaders themselves are not seeing any sign of turn around. The same is the status of the Congress in the state which is fighting a battle for saving its existence from being completely swallowed at the base level by Trinamool.

There are only two and half months before the starting of the polling process in the state. The Left Front is discussing about poll alliance among its constituents who are fringe parties at the moment. There is a possibility of an understanding with the Congress but the state Congress is still looking at the high command for the final decision. The Congress high command is too busy with Maharashtra elections right now. They are not giving any attention. The Left knowing that it is not in a position to challenge the TMC and the BJP on its own, is waiting for the Congress. The 294 seats are for grabs in the assembly. The question is not how many seats, the Left will win but in how many seats, the polling deposits can be saved.

If we take a look at the assembly wise position, we will see that in 2021 elections, the Left got zero seat while in 2024 elections, the Left got winning votes in two assembly constituencies. The ground reality is that the CPI(M) or any other Left party on its own can rarely manage 15 per cent of the votes in majority of the constituencies. But with the Congress support, there is a possibility of winning in a few constituencies. For instance, the Congress got winning margin in twelve assembly constituencies in 2024 Lok Sabha elections as against Left’s only two.

This proves two things. First, the CPI(M)’s loss of support base has been across all sections of population in the Last ten years since 2016 assembly elections. In 2016, the BJP got 3 seats while the Congress got 44 and the Left 32. These 32 seats came down to zero in 2021 assembly elections and in the2026 elections, the Left on its own has hardly any seat where it can confidently say that it can win by getting 40 per cent of the cast votes.

The Bengal CPI(M) leaders must have made their own appraisal. But the big difference between the Kerala and Bengal CPI(M) leaderships is that even if the LDF led by CPI(M) loses in Kerala in 2026 assembly elections, the organizational base remains intact with small erosion. The basic support base of Kerala Left remains-workers, peasants, students, unorganized workers, women. The Congress must have improved its base in the recent months but the Left is equally placed to come to power challenging the Congress in future elections in Kerala.

The situation is completely different in Bengal. The earlier base of the Left, especially the CPI(M) among the workers, women, unorganized sections and even in lower middle class has been hijacked by the TMC under Mamata Banerjee. The CITU has lost influence among the trade unions. In rural areas, the popular schemes of the TMC government among women and students have been widely popular. There are widespread corruption involving TMC cadres, but the benefits are reaching people. This is evident from any visit to the rural areas which show significant improvement in roads and other essential services.

Interestingly, Mamata Banerjee is among the very few state Opposition leaders who have been able to buck the double engine government trend in the recent Assembly elections winning 29 of the 42 parliamentary seats in the state in 2024, leaving the BJP far behind at just 12. Marching ahead of Narendra Modi in a general election is no small feat, especially when confronted by another Opposition alliance – the Left Front and Congress together. And women have been the backbone of her support system. Consider the 2024 CSDS–Lokniti post-poll survey data: A majority of women – 53% – voted for Mamata, a comprehensive lead over the BJP, which managed 33% of the women votes while the Left got just 5 per cent.

The state CPI(M) leadership at the moment lacks adequate full timers at the district level. The old leaders of the CPI(M) who were prominent during 34 years of the LF rule, are mostly not active. Many of them have become too old, many CPI(M) members got involved in government contractor jobs during LF rule and due to security reasons shifted to the TMC. Some others became inactive. The CPI(M) therefore is facing a serious cadre crisis in the districts. Due to lack of funds, more whole timers can not be appointed by the Party. On the other hand, both TMC and BJP are flush with funds, the cadres are taken care of. There is a rush of young people to join TMC and the BJP. The young hope to get good money making opportunities by joining TMC due to complete domination by the party at all levels panchayats, municipalities and the state government agencies. It is extremely difficult for the CPI(M) and the Left to combat the TMC and the BJP in rural constituencies with such big disadvantages.

The CPI(M) has been isolated from the Muslim community. The minorities are having insecurity problems due to resurgence of BJP and Hindutva in rural areas. They look for protection, The ruling TMC only can protect them. In 2021 assembly elections, the TMC got major part of the Muslim votes sidelining the Congress which was earlier the party getting Muslim support in Bengal. Further, CPI(M) at ground level is making a mistake, especially in rural areas by projecting TMC and the BJP two sides of the same coin. This did not click in the earlier polls, this is not going to work in 2026 polls also.

The CPI(M) has to use the 2026 assembly polls as the testing ground for the coming 2029 Lok Sabha polls and the next assembly polls in 2031. The CPI(M) at the lower level has to be with the people taking up the urgent issues including the corruption of the TMC leaders. The Party leaders have to increase the number of whole timers raising their wages. This is the third decade of 21st century. The old ideals of sacrifice by cadres won’t work. The minimum needs of the whole timers have to be met.

The Left has to be with the people on every issue adversely affecting them. Only through some hard work in the coming days, the Left can get good dividends from the lapses of TMC government and the leadership. Only through patient work and closeness with the working people, the Left including the CPI(M) can get back a part of its lost base. The 2026 polls campaign has to be seen with that broad vision without nursing any hopes for immediate success. (IPA Service)