By IANS,
Kolkata : Euphoria was writ large on the faces of Congress and Trinamool Congress activists in West Bengal Saturday, as they shouted slogans and celebrated the surprise wins of their parties that fought the Lok Sabha polls together and trounced the Left Front in its bastion.
After having to stomach defeat in all assembly and Lok Sabha polls during the last 32 years, the spectacular showing of the alliance sent Trinamool workers into rapture.
At Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee’s Kalighat residence in South Kolkata, her supporters smeared their faces with green colour and shouted slogans eulogising the leader.
“Mamata Banerjee zindabad, ‘dike dike jitche ke? Trinamool abar ke’ (Which party is winning across the state? Trinamool of course)?” they shouted, euphoria writ on their faces.
Some youths danced on the streets, flashed victory signs and told television channels that the days of the Left Front in the state were numbered.
Such scenes of jubilation were seen in all the districts, as the party offices of Trinamool and Congress wore a festive look.
In contrast, the mood was sombre in Left party circles, as leaders were seen analysing the results in low voices at the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) headquarters on Alimuddin Street.
CPI-M deputy leader in the outgoing Lok Sabha, Mohammed Salim, said three factors had led to the Left Front’s poor showing.
“The incidents of Singur and Nandigram played a big role in the rural areas. The Sachar committee’s comments on the condition of Muslims in the state cost us votes from the minority community. Moreover, people also wanted to vote for a stable government at the centre and chose the Congress-Trinamool alliance,” he said.