The CPM-led Left Front returned to the Assembly after a gap of five years with one seat, but the total vote share remained stagnant at 5.07 per cent despite efforts to shore up its electoral fortunes by fielding several young candidates.

Among the Left Front constituents, the CPM had built its aggressive campaign around a “young brigade” and renewed grassroots outreach. But the party ended with one seat and a vote share of 4.45 per cent.

Out of the 195 candidates fielded by the CPM this year, the only winner is Mostafijur Rahaman, who won from Domkal in Murshidabad district.

The poor show triggered sharp reactions on social media, where critics described the Left as increasingly disconnected from ground realities and active largely in digital spaces rather than among voters.

The results were particularly damaging for the CPM’s new generation of leaders, who had been projected as the face of revival. Minakshi Mukherjee, one of the most visible among them, finished third in Uttarpara with 42,080 votes as the BJP clinched the seat. In Dum Dum North, Dipsita Dhar, too, secured third position with 22,323 votes, far behind BJP’s Sourav Sikdar, who polled 61,579 votes to emerge as the winner.

The scale of underperformance was stark in Panihati, where Kalatan Dasgupta managed only 14,729 votes, finishing third in a contest that was won by the mother of the junior doctor who had been raped and murdered at R.G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Calcutta. She secured 56,167 votes on a BJP ticket.

Similar trends played out in several Assembly constituencies.

In Rajarhat-New Town, Saptarshi Deb secured just 14,192 votes against Trinamool’s Tapash Chatterjee, who polled 65,993 votes. Afreen Begum in Ballygunge polled a meagre 7,185 votes, dwarfed by Trinamool’s Sobhondeb Chattopadhyay, who bagged 1,08,481 votes.

In Ranibandh, tribal leader Deblina Hembram garnered only 13,200 votes against BJP’s Kshudiram Tudu, who swept the seat with 1,31,145 votes.

Kaliganj candidate Sabina Yasmin, contesting amid emotional resonance following her daughter Tamanna’s killing last year, secured 22,806 votes, far behind 89,292 votes polled by Trinamool’s Alifa Ahmed.

Even veteran leaders failed to hold ground. In Jadavpur, senior advocate Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya finished third with 24,466 votes, while BJP’s Sarbori Mukherjee won comfortably with 70,862.

Manas Mukherjee in Kamarhati also ended third with 20,203 votes against Trinamool’s Madan Mitra, who polled 64,817 votes.

The Left Front had contested all 293 seats whose results were out on Monday.

The Left Front, composed of the CPM, CPI, RSP and the Forward Bloc, had a tie-up with the Indian Secular Front (ISF).

Yet, the alliance failed to make any meaningful impact, accentuated by a high
percentage of polarisation that sought to defeat the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress.

The erosion of the Left’s electoral base has been gradual but consistent. The Left won 40 seats after the fall of its 34-year regime in 2011, and the tally dropped to 26 in 2016 despite an alliance with the Congress. Its vote share declined from 19.8 per cent in 2016 to 6.33 per cent in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

In 2021, the Left failed to win a single Assembly seat, securing just 5.67 per cent of the vote. The Left contested the 2021 Assembly polls in alliance with the Congress.

CPM general secretary M.A. Baby has attributed the results to a broader political shift.

“In Bengal, the BJP benefited from several factors, including a strong anti-incumbency wave against the corrupt Trinamool government. The communal and divisive campaign backed by huge money power and misuse of central agencies played a role,” he said, expressing hope that the CPM’s lone voice (Rahaman) in the Assembly would still be heard.

CPM state secretary Md Salim said: “People have given a mandate against Trinamool’s corruption, autocracy and lawlessness. The BJP has exploited this anger.”

Senior CPM leader Sujan Chakraborty echoed the sentiment, noting voters opted for what they perceived as the strongest alternative to Trinamool. “It was the sheer disenchantment with the Trinamool government that people gave priority to. This mentality of people helped the BJP,” Chakraborty told The Telegraph.