After poor performance in last poll, Left back to winning ways

After failing in its third front, an alternative to two Dravidian majors, experiment in the 2016 polls, the CPM and the CPI contested this election in alliance with the DMK-Congress combine. Both the Left parties contested 6 assembly seats each and won two seats each.

CPM Kilvelur candidate R Nagaimali won the seat defeating its rival PMK candidate Vadivel Ravanan by a margin of 17,234 votes while M Chinnadurai won Gandarvankottai by 13,592 votes.

CPI candidate R Marimuthu has won from the party’s traditional stronghold Thiruthuraipoondi by more than 30,000 votes. Former legislator T Ramachandran won the Thalli constituency defeating BJP’s candidate Dr Nagesh Kumar.

Despite its ally DMK coming to power in Tamil Nadu and Left Democratic Front retaining power in Kerala, the mood in the Left camp was dull with the Congress-Left Front alliance performing badly in West Bengal with CPM having no elected representative. “We are happy our alliance led by DMK in Tamil Nadu has defeated the AIADMK-BJP combine in the Assembly polls. CPM led Left Democratic Front has retained power for the second term in Kerala but the defeat in West Bengal is big upset,” said a senior party leader.

CPM state secretary K Balakrishnan said that people have given a huge victory for the DMK led the secular alliance in the State. “People have voted out the AIADMK government, which functions like a BJP’s crony and faced corruption charges,” he said, adding that his party would support the DMK to address the challenges due to the pandemic, economic crisis and livelihood issues. CPI state secretary R Mutharasan extended his party’s greetings to voters for being the reason behind DMK’s victory. “MK Stalin, who will sworn-in as Chief Minister, has all the experience to meet the situation arising out of the pandemic and emerge victoriously,” he said.