Generally, most parties make no attempt to gauge internal consensus before even the most basic decision-making — from bestowing tickets to staking ideological positions. We recently witnessed the Left flouting its own vaunted traditions of intra-party democracy with the summary expulsion of Somnath Chatterjee. Being attentive to local conditions, and being supple enough to accommodate new agendas is vital for a national party. When there are no transparent routes for personal advancement or sanctioned channels to express difference, party members are left with no choice but to break away.
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