Kolkata, Feb 14 CPI(M), in its internal party document, has identified Trinamool Congress as the biggest beneficiary of binary polarization of politics in West Bengal.
In the said document, which had done an analysis of the party’s election strategy, CPI(M)’s central leadership had stressed that the party comrades at all levels should pay more attention to counter BJP both “politically” and “ideologically”.
“In West Bengal, the party has been fighting both the Trinamool Congress and BJP for the past decade. While doing so, the party at all levels must pay more attention to counter the BJP politically and ideologically. This is important since a large section of secular-minded people see the TMC as an effective counter to the BJP because of the binary politics that has revolved,” the party’s internal document read.
However, a section of the state leadership of the party in West Bengal, feels that identifying Trinamool Congress as the biggest beneficiary in this binary polarization in state politics is a somewhat over-simplified formula.
“While it is true that a section of the secular-minded people in the state have accepted Trinamool Congress as an effective counter to the BJP, at the same time, a large section of anti-TMC voters are now accepting BJP as an effective counter to the state’s ruling party. In such a situation, in West Bengal perspective, what is required is a balanced campaign strategy as regards opposing Trinamool Congress and BJP in the state simultaneously,” said a state committee member of CPI(M) who refused to be named.
In fact, the trend in binary polarization in West Bengal politics was first evident in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, where BJP turned out to be the biggest beneficiary increasing their winning tally in the state to 18 from just two in 2014.
However, in the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections, while the trend of binary polarization continued, it was the Trinamool Congress who became the beneficiary of that. The same trend continued in the 2024 Lok Sabha with the state ruling party again being the biggest beneficiary.
In all three elections the CPI(M)-led Left Front ended scoring ducks.
Earlier this month CPI(M) released its draft political resolution for the forthcoming 24th party Congress scheduled in April this year at Madurai in Tamil Nadu, where the leadership had stressed more on independent political lines in the coming days rather than on electoral understanding.
“The party should pay more attention to the independent political campaign and mass mobilization around the political platform of the party. There should be no blurring of our independent identity or diminishing of our independent activities in the name of electoral understanding or alliances,” read the draft political resolution, a copy of which is available with IANS.
As regards maintaining the independent line, the draft resolution had cautiously touched upon the two states of Tripura and West Bengal, where the CPI(M)-led Left Front had electoral understanding and seat-sharing arrangements in the past elections.
“A significant increase in the strength of the party requires the rebuilding and expansion of the party and the Left in West Bengal and Tripura. In West Bengal, while conducting mass struggles and movements, special attention should be paid to working among the rural poor and organising them. The party has to focus more on the political and ideological fight against the BJP while opposing both the TMC and BJP," the draft political resolution as regards the West Bengal perspective has stressed.
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