Even as the CPM drew a blank the bypolls held on 10 seats, its sworn rival, the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress, has not only snatched the Rajgunj seat from it, but has also managed to increase its victory margins in constituencies it held.

The Trinamool’s rising political graph was evident in almost all the seats it contested, including those which it held since the 2006 Assembly polls.

For instance, in Bongaon where Sougata Roy of the Trinamool Congress won by a margin of 3,465 votes in 2006, Gopal Seth of Trinamool Congress today increased the winning margin to 44,348 votes. In Contai South, where Trinamool’s Suvendu Adhikary won by 8,580 votes in 2006, his younger brother Dibyendu Adhikary increased the victory margin to 25,817 votes. In Serampore, Ranta De Nag of Trinamool won in 2006 with a margin of 8,175 and today, Sudipto Roy increased it to 29,678.

Lakshman Seth, CPM’s strongman in East Midnapore, said: “We will have to go to the people in a better way with our message. Those who have left us will have to be brought back. Side by side, the process of party’s rejuvenation will have to be speeded up.” The seats of Egra and Contai South fall in East Midnapore district.

“The people rejected them the day they killed poor farmers in Nandigram. We were sure of a win in the two seats of Egra and Contai South with a comfortable margin. People have blessed us,” said Sisir Adhikary, Trinamool strongman from East Midnapore and Union Minister of State for Rural Development.

... contd.