PICTURE SPEAK

RIGHT TURN: Bhattacharya is busy wooing investors and industrialists

Never mind that election-related graffiti has been banned in the state. The second banner reflects the tone for the five-phase assembly elections in the state that begin on April 17, where false votes-and eliminating them-has become the biggest election issue. The red rage is quite evident in West Bengal with the Opposition nurturing high hopes that this time they might have a more even ground on which to fight the Goliath in the state-the Left Front.

The revised voters' list published by the Election Commission (EC) last week which had deleted the names of over 13 lakh false voters has left few political parties smiling, while others are up in arms to make the best of the issue. The number of deletions is thrice that of last year-it was 3.47 lakh in 2004 and 3.39 lakh in 2005. On the other hand, 21 lakh new names have been admitted in the list.

While EC is busy tackling the false voter menace in the state, the Left Front has tried to clean up its own stable. This time, the CPI(M) has been merciless and has not issued nominations to any of the senior state education ministers because the state has had a dismal track record on this front. Those who have been left out include Satya Sadhan Chakraborty, the minister for higher education, and Kanti Biswas, veteran minister for primary education. Says Biswas, "This step has been taken so that we can be doubly active during the elections. Without having to bother about a constituency, I can help in strengthening the party's prospects."

PAST PERFORMANCES Total 1996 2001

294 Seats Vote% Seats Vote% LEFT 202 48.9 198 49.0 TC-CON 82 39.5 87 40.0 BJP 0 6.5 0 6.0 OTHERS 10 5.1 9 5.0

The CPI(M), due to Bhattacharya's industrialisation policies, is on solid ground as far as the popularity graph is concerned. But that very policy has become a cause for worry when it comes to its own partners. A few contentious issues have created rifts within the Front. The poll manifesto, for example, had to be revised when CPI protested on issues such as agricultural land being given away to foreign investors and the modernisation of the Dumdum airport, calling it "privatisation in the name of modernisation". The concern of Left Front partners stems from the fact that Bhattacharya's industrialisation and it overdrive has badly diminished the Left's popularity in rural areas, especially the heavily-populated districts surrounding the city where huge tracts of farming lands are being appropriated to build factories, health cities and housing complexes.

PICTURE SPEAK

LAST CHANCE: After three disasters, Mamata hopes for better luck

Even this time around, the Opposition is yet to decide its poll agenda in the state. One setback it faces is the publication of the revised voters' list, which has nothing in store for it. This week when the Opposition lodged its protest with the EC, they were well-armed. According to Opposition sources, more than 7,000 names appear two, five or 10 times on the list. Other grievances include the deletion of 2,000 names from the list, and a chunk of 500 names proposed by the ruling party being included in it without any objection. What sets this apart from a similar exercise before the Bihar and the West Bengal election is the fact that here, the EC had to completely rely on state machinery to do their job, however, conscientious they might have been.

Much more than the protests over the electoral rolls is brewing.

Trinamool Congress may land the NDA alliance in trouble, as Mamata Banerjee has a problem over seatsharing and may prefer to contest alone without its support.

While the Left Front has declared its candidates, the Congress is still grappling with a major decision-whether to join hands with Mamata's Trinamool or not. Many in the state Congress unit favour an electoral pact with the Trinamool, while others oppose any alliance with political parties in the BJP camp, creating a difficult situation. With Congress not ruling out an alliance, and even sending Margaret Alva to appease the state unit of the Congress, the stage appears almost set for an informal alliance between the Congress and the Trinamool.

In fact, if Mamata parts ways with the BJP, senior Trinamool sources say the party may not contest as many as 80 seats where a Congress candidate is contesting. Already, a seat sharing arrangement in Malda has been agreed upon by Mamata and senior Congress leader A.B.A. Ghani Khan Chowdhury. Sources say a similar arrangement will be agreed upon by the Trinamool and the Congress everywhere else in the state as well.

If it comes to such an arrangement, Mamata's dream of a one-opposition vote in every constituency might just come true. And Buddha will definitely not be smiling then. At least, not till the election results are out.