The Election Commission of India has announced the results of the by-elections to six assembly constituencies in West Bengal. Trinamool Congress has won all the seats with a huge margin. BJP is in the second position. But the most significant thing in this election is that the candidates of Left Front and Congress have lost their security in all the centers. Political analysts think that the people of Bengal have rejected these two parties.
Another unprecedented picture emerged in the by-election results—Left Front and Congress candidates contesting Notar (none of the above) in many constituencies. In Madarihat NOTA got 2 thousand 856 votes, while RSP and Congress got 3 thousand 412 and 3 thousand 23 votes respectively.
If a candidate in a center is not preferred, voters can indicate this on ballot paper or electronic voting machines. This particular button or cell is called 'Nota' or 'None of the Above' – i.e. none of the above candidates.
Trinamool Congress candidates won every seat by a huge margin. Trinamool candidate Falguni Singhbabu won in Taldangra by 34 thousand 82 votes. In Naihati, Sanath Dey won by 48 thousand 879 votes. Rabiul Islam won by 1 lakh 31 thousand 388 votes in Haroa seat. Sujoy Hazra got 33 thousand 190 votes in Medinipur seat. Sangeeta Roy won Sitai seat by getting 1 lakh 30 thousand 156 votes.
Weak organization of Congress and Left Front is believed to be one of the reasons for this result. Sitaye Forward Bloc got only 3 thousand 319 votes. And Nota got 1 thousand 317 votes. In Medinipur, the Congress fell behind Nota in the sixth and seventh rounds, later leading by a small margin. A similar picture was seen in Haroa and Taldangra.
The result is seen as a major political setback for the Left Front and the Congress. The dominance of the Trinamool Congress and the second position of the BJP proves that the position of the Left Front and the Congress in West Bengal politics is shrinking day by day.
