The Communist Party of India (Marxist) accepted the West Bengal verdict, saying the people had opted for a change after 34 years of Left rule.
“After the Left Front being in office for a record 34 years continuously, the people have opted for a change. The TMC-led combine has been the beneficiary of this change,” the party's Polit Bureau said in a statement.
It said, “During the more than three decades, the Left Front government recorded solid achievements — land reforms, a democratised panchayat system, progress in agriculture, assurance of democratic rights for the working people, for unity, integrity and communal harmony in the State, which are historic gains of the people of West Bengal and an enduring legacy.”
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Conveying its greetings to the lakhs of people who have supported and voted for the CPI(M) and the Left Front in the most adverse circumstances and against heavy odds, the Polit Bureau said both the CPI(M) and the Left would stand by the interests of the people and struggle for the cause of the working people.
The Polit Bureau cautioned that there should be no repetition of the violence that took place against the CPI(M) and the Left Front cadres and offices in the aftermath of the Lok Sabha polls in 2009. It appealed to the people to work for peace and tranquillity.
On Kerala, it said the results showed that the people have, by and large, endorsed the past five year record of the Left Democratic Front government. The slender margin of victory for the United Democratic Front showed that there was no anti-incumbency trend, the Polit Bureau said adding that however, some caste and religious forces had worked to influence the elections.
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As for the role of the Left, it said that while the results of West Bengal and Kerala would be a disappointment for the Left and democratic forces in the country, this would, by no means, make the Left policies and programmes irrelevant for the country.
“The CPI(M) and Left forces will not only continue to work for the people in West Bengal and Kerala but will vigorously pursue the struggle against the neo-liberal economic policies, defend the livelihood and interests of the working people and combat communalism and defend secularism in the country,'' the statement said.
AIADMK front victory
The Polit Bureau welcomed the sweeping victory of the AIADMK alliance in Tamil Nadu. It said the result was a decisive rejection of the ‘corrupt misrule' of the DMK and also a verdict against corruption, which had flourished under the UPA regime.
As for Assam, it said the peace talks with the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and the division in the Opposition parties contributed to the Congress' victory.
The Communist Party of India said the Left Front drew lessons from the reverses suffered during the 2009 Lok Sabha elections and tried to make corrections but it was late.
“We tried our best, but the people's verdict has gone against the Left, while in Kerala the LDF put up a brave fight but lost by a slight margin. We accept the defeat with humility and will discus it,” party deputy general secretary S. Sudhakar Reddy said adding that in addition some partners such as the Janata Dal (Secular) and a faction of Kerala Congress had move away from the alliance. He said the Tamil Nadu results was positive and described it as a defeat of a corrupt regime.