CPM General Secretary Sitaram Yechury admitted in a public meeting on Tuesday (4 June) that many left supporters who voted for his party in the 2016 Bengal assembly polls, decided to switch their alliance to the BJP for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Hindustan Times has reported.
Yechury claimed that voting for the BJP was a natural tendency for those who wanted relief from Trinamool’s terror and repression which has resulted in a polarisation of votes between the BJP and the Trinamool which is resulting in diminishing space for other parties.
Yechury though defended his party members by affirming that they stand firm in their allegiance and the switch only happened among left’s supporters.
It was extensively reported during the Lok Sabha polls that the grassroots workers of the CPM had openly decided to support the BJP in a bid to achieve the common goal of ousting Mamata Banerjee.
During the Lok Sabha polls in Bengal, the BJP won a personal best of 18 seats in the state while the Trinamool was restricted to 22 seats. The CPM scored a duck in the state.