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Surprise wins for Cong in WB

Rifat Jawaid in Calcutta

It is clear that the rural electorate has dumped the Trinamul Congress and its ally, the Bharatiya Janata Party, in West Bengal, with all civic election results being declared.

The Congress, despite having been pushed into oblivion, especially after Mamata Banerjee parted ways, has emerged as a potential opposition, while the combined force of the Trinamul and BJP has performed miserably. Of 79 civic bodies, the Left captured 33, Congress 16, Trinamul 8 and Gorkha National Liberation Front one. The surprise omission among winners is the BJP.

In the 1995 municipal polls, the undivided Congress party bagged 33 municipalities, while the ruling Left Front emerged victorious in 43. This time, the Left lost in 10.

Though the Congress' share has come down by 17, political analysts do not view this as abysmal. The Congress was not expected to retain any municipal board following Mamata's emergence as the most viable alternative in the state.

The Congress was plagued by internecine battles, with many stalwarts switching loyalty to the Trinamul. Senior leaders like A B A Ghani Khan Chowdhury and Somen Mitra had advocated a tieup with the Trinamul, even though the BJP was one of its partners; a departure from the party's age-old secular ideologies.

However, the success in the civic polls has boosted the party's morale. Billed as a dress rehearsal for next year's assembly elections, the Congress' resurgence as the greatest threat to the Left will only cause further embarrassment to Mamata and Chowdhury. The most euphoric is West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee working president Priyaranjan Dashmunshi and his supporters, who thwarted the rival camp's move to align with Mamata and the BJP.

The CPI-M has described the results as a verdict against the unprincipled and communal alliance of the BJP and Trinamul. The CPI-M state secretary told rediff.com, "The results are indicative of Mamata's much hyped popularity in rural areas. Not long ago, she was taking pride in consolidating her party's stronghold in South Bengal. Now, you can see how she has failed miserably even her so-called bastion.''

A visibly upset Mamata refused to talk to the press.

The Congress is now preparing for the next month's Calcutta Municipal Corporation's election. Its leaders are optimistic of repeating the feat in the Trinamul's undisputed fiefdom.

EARLIER REPORT
WB Cong proves critics wrong

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