[1]Sailing against a strong wind of change, the Left Front is facing the toughest-ever challenge in its 35-year rule while Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress in alliance with Congress and other fringe players is pulling out all stops to bring about ‘paribartan’ or change in the West Bengal Assembly polls.
The elections would be held in six phases with the first phase polling scheduled for April 18 in 54 constituencies in north Bengal. The sixth and the last phase is slated for May 10
Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who is leading the Left Front charge, and the Trinamool supremo have already hit the campaign trail either addressing meetings or participating in marches.
Bhattacharjee is seeking re-election from Jadavpur constituency on the southern fringe of the city while Banerjee, currently a member of the Lok Sabha from Kolkata South, is not contesting the polls.
For the ruling Left Front, it is a make-or-break election having tasted defeats in successive elections through panchayat, Lok Sabha and municipal elections since 2008.
Battling against anti-incumbency, the CPI-M leadership admitted that it was up against a strong challenge, but it could still bounce back.
"Trinamool-Congress alliance has bagged 11 lakh more votes than the LF in the last Lok Sabha polls, which can be made up if the Front managed to garner additional 10 votes in each of the 60,000 booths across the state," CPI-M central committee member and housing minister Gautam Deb said.
Riding on an apparent pro-change wave, Trinamool is confident of dethroning the Left.
"There will be polarisation between the Left Front and our alliance and there will be no other force. The people will vote for a change to end the 35-year 'misrule' of the CPI(M)-led government," Banerjee has said.
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