LF reviews poll results, blames loss on wrong policies

Statesman News Service

MALDA, 22 MAY: Though the Malda district Left Front has not finalised the date of its review meeting with all partners to retrospect on Lok Sabha polls debacle in this district, district leaders of many Left Front partners have completed primary investigation after the results.

“People here have cast votes on local issues. Many people in Gazole, a Red bastion, did not vote in favour of LF on the issue of electricity. There are several villages where there is no supply of electricity. Rampant load shedding was one of the reasons. Corruption in public distribution system and ration card issue was also one of the reasons aside from other major issues”, said Mr Goutam Gupta, the district secretary of the RSP.

Mr Gupta also said: “We have been detached from people. We do not go to the people. When people come to us, we do not give them time. We have forgotten to work for the people belonging to the state”.

“We did not have a stronger base than Congress in two parliamentary seats. In North Malda, the CPI-M

had been facing factional feud. Many workers did not work properly for the CPI-M candidate in North Malda. Farmers in this district were scared about farm land acquisition. Party workers’ behaviour was rude”, said Mr. Tarun Das, district secretary, CPI.

“Minority people did not accept CPI-M in Lok Sabha election in North Malda. To form a stable government and to prevent the BJP from coming to power the minority people cast their votes for Congress candidate, a suitable one, directly”, said Mr Tajmul Hossain, Forward Bloc leader and MLA from Harishchandrapur.

“We did not expect such bad results in North Malda. Congress did not expect such surprising results here. Miss Mausam Noor had been able to reach voters belonging to new generation. There are several factors behind the debacle including disunity among us”, said Mr. Milan Das, district secretary, Socialist Party.

“We are going to review the poll results categorically. Perhaps, in Gazole, people did not like our man who were posted there for organizing election for us”, said Mr. Jiban Moitra, district convenor of LF.

It has been reported that modified ration dealers who had been depriving poor backward classes were on duty for conducting election in Gazole.

They only campaigned through their vehicles but could not persuade tribal people to cast their votes in favour of CPI-M candidate.