The CM set out his priorities: consolidate success in agriculture; accelerate growth in industrial investment; and, improve living conditions of the poor, a significant section still living below the poverty line.

Asked if Left victories in West Bengal and Kerala gave it greater strength to take on the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre, Bhattacharjee said: “We won’t go for any confrontation. It is an experiment we are running. But if there are areas of disagreement, we will certainly fight it out.”

Clearly, the Left victory in Bengal is as much a mandate for Bhattacharjee’s personal image and charisma as it is for his governance and policies. It’s evident in the fact that Bhattacharjee registered a record of sorts himself, winning his Jadavpur Assembly seat by over 58,000 votes. It’s a victory margin that no chief minister in Bengal ever recorded.

The Left victory has further weakened Trinamool leader Mamata Banerjee and there’s virtually no Opposition in the state. In fact, the Left made inroads in Kolkata as well, wresting four seats from the Trinamool. -subratanag.choudhury@expressindia.com