West Bengal Assembly polls: Age-old Left's shot at redemption with young guns

CPI(M) faced an existential crisis after 2011, it's now relying on young candidates to renew its image

34 years. That was the duration of the Left Front government's rule in West Bengal. Over three decades is a long time, and at one point, the Left Front and West Bengal became synonymous, defining each other in the dictionary of politics. So, when Mamata Banerjee halted the juggernaut in the 2011 Assembly elections, it signalled not just a change in government but also heralded a revolution in the identity of Bengal.

In Bengal, the party voted out of power is left to rot in the wilderness. Congress never came back to power after their exit in 1977. CPI(M) too faced an existential crisis after 2011, with its low-level leaders joining TMC and the top leadership struggling to keep its act together. The deplorable condition touched a nadir when the party drew a blank in the 2019 Lok Sabha election in the state, especially when BJP bagged 18 seats and even Congress managed to win two seats.

Two years later, the CPI(M) is fighting the upcoming West Bengal Assembly election with a revamped look, giving young leaders a chance to prove their mettle.

Minakshi Mukherjee, the State Secretary of the youth wing of CPI(M), Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), will fight from the crucial Nandigram Assembly seat. In a battle that may seem somewhat uneven, she will take on two political heavyweights in that region: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari.

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Minakshi's political experience is lesser than the other two leaders, but she is making up for that with her enthusiasm, visiting the houses of the poor villagers and interacting with them, sharing meals and listening to their grievances.

Fielded by the CPI(M) from the Jamuria Assembly seat, JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh is probably the most popular face among the young turks.

The first sitting JNUSU functionary to fight assembly polls, Ghosh, a latecomer into politics, blossomed as the president of the union at a time when student politics saw a resurgence after Left leader Kanhaiya Kumar came into the media limelight following a sedition case.

When asked by PTI what it is like to be catapulted into national politics from JNU, she replied, "It is a big responsibility, but my politics will remain the same."

What is she fighting for? "The youth of Bengal is asking for jobs, better standards of living. Bengal itself has turned into an old-age home, where the youth are being forced to leave for better lives elsewhere. Even for higher education, youngsters are leaving the state. In the coal belt, where I come from, after the coronavirus crisis there is a huge issue of migrants who have returned and have no jobs," she told PTI.

Read more: From JNU to Jamuria: Aishe Ghosh to test her brand of politics in Bengal polls

Singur rejected Tata Motors in 2006. Singur started the collapse of the Left Front government. But still, the CPI(M) candidate from Singur, Srijan Bhattacharya hopes to invite industries to invest in that region if he wins.

“History has proven that Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was right. At that point, the state had reached a saturation point in agriculture. In paddy cultivation, jute production, we were the No 1. Industrialisation was the next step forward. That day, Mamata Banerjee opposed industrialisation for her political gains. Today the youth of the state is suffering for her actions,” Bhattacharya said during an interaction with The Wire.

CPI(M) MLA Pradip Tah was allegedly murdered by Trinamool Congress goons in February 2012. More than a decade later, his 28-year-old daughter Pritha Tah has entered active politics and is contesting the assembly election from Bardhaman South.

“It is not about personal grief or hatred against the killer of Pradip Tah," she told The Wire.

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Pritha's fight is for the development of the poorer sections of the society, for people like Maidul Midya, a graduate who died while protesting against the state government over lack of jobs. "In communism, one does not inherit any personal agenda, one inherits the will to fight against class oppression, says a resolute Pritha.

Dipsita Dhar, contesting from Bally, echoes Pritha's sentiment. A PhD scholar at JNU and all India joint secretary of the SFI, Dhar said, “There are hardly any job opportunities for the educated youth in Bengal. All my friends who have done BTech or Mtech, MPhil or PhD have been forced to leave the state for Bengaluru or Hyderabad. In the government sector, corruption has vitiated the job market. TET/SSC exams have not been held for years."

While Monalisa Sinha will contest from the Sonarpur North seat, All India Student Federation president Shuvam Banerjee is the CPI candidate from Sonarpur South, Kolkata. In the Kamarhati constituency, DYFI state secretary Sayandeep Mitra will take on one of the most popular TMC leaders, Madan Mitra.

Will these young faces win? Even though it seems to be a difficult proposition, one can take heart from the fact that the game of politics hides numerous twists and turns up its sleeves. Facing them are seasoned politicians who embrace elections like a fish takes to water. On May 2, the fate of these candidates will be known when the counting takes place.

But whatever be the outcome, one thing can be safely said. CPI(M)'s road to redemption will be traversed by the unbridled energy and passion of youth in the coming days.