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Communists suffer setback in India's West Bengal state

BBC Published Jun 3, 2010 Reviewed Jul 2, 2026 ✓ Reviewed by citations.press editors

Trinamul Congress won 95 of 141 seats in the Calcutta municipal polls.

95 seats · Calcutta municipal seats

West Bengal's Communist-led coalition has been in power for 33 years.

33 years · time in power

Trinamul Congress won 95 of 141 seats in Calcutta municipal polls.

95 seats · Trinamul Congress141 seats · total seats

Communists won 33 seats in Calcutta municipal polls.

33 seats · Communists

In the remaining 80 municipalities, Trinamul won 25 seats while the Communists won 17 seats.

25 seats · Trinamul17 seats · Communists

West Bengal's Communist-led coalition have been in power for 33 years.

33 years · Communist-led coalition

In the general elections last year, the left coalition won 15 of 42 seats in the state parliament.

15 seats · left coalition42 seats · total seats

In the general elections last year, Trinamul won 19 seats, the Congress won 5 seats, and a smaller socialist ally won 1 seat.

19 seats · Trinamul5 seats · Congress1 seats · socialist ally

In Sunday's municipal polls, the Congress party picked up 10 seats in Calcutta and 7 seats in other municipalities.

10 seats · Congress party7 seats · Congress party

Results in 31 municipalities are hung.

31 municipalities · municipalities

Mamata Banerjee has indicated that she is open to a seat‑sharing agreement with the Congress in the key state elections next year.

Mamata Banerjee, Trinamul leader

Communists won 33 seats in the Calcutta municipal polls.

33 seats · Communist seats in Calcutta

In the remaining 80 municipalities, Trinamul won 25 seats and Communists won 17 seats.

25 seats · Trinamul seats in remaining municipalities17 seats · Communist seats in remaining municipalities

In the last general elections, the left coalition won 15 of 42 parliamentary seats.

15 seats · left coalition seats42 seats · total parliamentary seats

In the last general elections, Trinamul won 19 seats, Congress won 5 seats, and a smaller socialist ally won 1 seat.

19 seats · Trinamul seats5 seats · Congress seats1 seats · socialist ally seats

In Sunday's municipal polls, the Congress party won 10 seats in Calcutta and 7 seats in other municipalities.

10 seats · Congress seats in Calcutta7 seats · Congress seats in other municipalities

Trinamul leader Mamata Banerjee has indicated openness to a seat-sharing agreement with Congress in the key state elections next year.

Mamata Banerjee, Trinamul leader

Trinamul Congress may negotiate with Congress to come to power in the hung municipalities.

Subir Bhaumik, BBC

BBC's Subir Bhaumik says the Trinamul Congress may negotiate with the Congress to come to power in the municipal polls.

Subir Bhaumik, BBC's Subir Bhaumik

The ruling Communists in the Indian state of West Bengal have suffered a major setback in the municipal polls.

The opposition Trinamul Congress swept the polls in the capital, Calcutta, winning 95 of the 141 seats. The Communists managed to win 33 seats.

Of the remaining 80 municipalities, Trinamul won 25, while the Communists trailed with 17. In many towns there was no outright winner.

West Bengal's Communist-led coalition have been in power for 33 years.

But it now looks as if their hold on the state is increasingly being whittled away.

They suffered a setback at the general elections last year when the left coalition could only manage to win 15 of the state's 42 parliament seats. The fiercely anti-Left Trinamul won 19, the Congress won five and a smaller socialist ally won one seat.

The Congress party also did poorly in Sunday's municipal polls, picking up just 10 seats in Calcutta and seven seats in the other municipalities.

Results in 31 municipalities are hung, and the Trinamul Congress may negotiate with the Congress to come to power here, the BBC's Subir Bhaumik in Calcutta says.

Trinamul leader Mamata Banerjee has indicated that she is open to a seat-sharing agreement with the Congress in the key state elections next year.

Correspondents say the anti-incumbency factor may have finally caught up with the ruling left coalition in the state.

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