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Left Front retains Writers’ but loses more stalwarts
Kolkata,
May 14: West Bengal’s ruling Left Front has retained Writers’
Buildings for a record sixth consecutive time and in the process
lost more heavyweights than its arch rivals.
The results are loud and clear: As many as five ministers in the
outgoing government have failed to make it. Health Minister Partha
De (Bankura), PWD Minister Kshiti Goswami (Dhakuria), Minister of
State for PWD Manohar Tirkey (Kalchini), Relief Minister Satya Ranjan
Mahato (Jhalda) and Minister for Agriculture Marketing Biren Moitra
(Harishchandrapur) lost.
Other than the ministers, Left Front Chief Whip in the Assembly
Rabin Mondal lost at Rajarhat, CPI(M) North 24-Parganas secretary
Amitava Nandy at Habra and Asian Games gold medallist Jyotirmoyee
Sikdar at Ranaghat(West).
Among the top shots, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee posted
a decisive victory at Jadavpur against Trinamool Congress’
Madhabi Mukherjee, a popular Bengali film actress. Finance Minister
Asim Dasgupta won Khardah, Transport Minister Subhas Chakrabarty
Belgachia(East) and Speaker Hasim Abdul Halim Amdanga.
Among heavyweights of the Left rival, the Trinamool-Congress combine,
who lost out are Trinamool general-secretary Mukul Roy (Jagaddal),
PCC general- secretary Manas Bhuniya (Sabang) and sitting Congress
MLA Goutam Chakraborty (Englishbazar).
The most pathetic show was that of CPI(M) rebel Saifuddin Chowdhury’s
Party for Democratic Socialism (PDS). It failed to win a single
seat with Chowdhury forfeiting his deposit at Nandanghat and party
general-secretary Samir Putatunda forfeiting his at Jadavpur.
Though five Left Front ministers lost, several others kept their
reputations intact. Among these are Abdur Rezzak Molla (Canning-East),
Satyasadhan Chakraborty (Gaighata), Kanti Biswas (Sandeshkhali),
Ashok Bhattacharya (Siliguri), Bansagopal Chowdhury (Raniganj),
Mrinal Banerjee (Durgapur-I), Manab Mukherjee (Beliaghata), Susanta
Ghosh (Garbeta-East), Kalimuddin Shams (Nalhati) and Kiranmoy Nanda
(Mugberia). Several other ministers too retained their seats.
Prominent winners from the Opposition alliance include Leader of
the Opposition in the Assembly Atish Sinha (Kandi), Congress Chief
Whip Abdul Mannan, Sealdah MLA and former PCC chief Somen Mitra
(Sealdah), Kolkata Mayor Subrata Mukherjee (Chowringhee), Trinamool
policy-making body chairman Pankaj Banerjee (Tollygunge), Trinamool
Trade Union Congress chief Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay (Rash Behari)
and Bengali filmstars Tapas Pal (Alipore) and Nayana Bandopadhyay
(Bowbazar).(PTI)
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