1996 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election

Legislative Assembly elections were held in the Indian state of West Bengal in 1996. The election took place simultaneously with the 1996 Indian general election.[1][2] This was the last election Jyoti Basu contested, as he retired from politics in 2000.

1996 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election

← 1991 13 May 1996 2001 →

All 294 seats in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly
148 seats needed for a majority
Turnout82.94% (Increase 6.14 pp)
  Majority party Minority party
 
Jyoti Basu - Calcutta 1996-12-21 089 Cropped.png
Hand_INC.svg
Leader Jyoti Basu Somen Mitra
Party CPI(M) INC(I)
Alliance LF INC(I) + JMM
Leader's seat Satgachhia Sealdah
Last election 36.87%, 182 seats 35.12%, 43 seats
Seats won 153 82
Seat change Decrease 29 Increase 39
Popular vote 13,670,198 14,523,964
Percentage 37.16% 39.48%
Swing Increase 1.05 pp Increase 4.36 pp

Chief Minister before election

Jyoti Basu
CPI(M)

Chief Minister after election

Jyoti Basu
CPI(M)

Parties

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Left Front

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The Communist Party of India (Marxist) had fielded 70 new candidates, but many of them failed to get elected.[3] The All India Forward Bloc had suffered a split before the election, with the emergence of the Forward Bloc (Socialist).[3]

The Left Front supported Janata Dal candidates in five constituencies.

Indian National Congress

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Factionalism was rife within the state Congress unit. After being out of power in the state for about 20 years with no significant increase in either vote-share or number of seats in the last 15 years, most state Congress leaders had given up the hopes of defeating the Left Front & sought to re-evaluate their strategy. The elections took place alongside the general elections, in which there were 4 major players - the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Hindu right wing alliance, the centre-left alliance led by Janata Dal made up of Congress dissidents, the centrist alliance of the Congress party & the leftist alliance of Communist parties, out of which the BJP & JD didn't have much influence in the state. In 1991, the Congress under P. V. Narasimha Rao was able to form a minority government with the support of the Janata Dal, however Rao's tenure saw the Congress rife with defection of some of its senior leaders & charges of corruption. The political climate of India was charged with the issue of Ram-mandir, following the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992. The BJP made the construction of Ram-mandir on the Ram Janmabhoomi site its primary electoral promise while the Janata Dal banked on the implementation of the Mandal Commission report as its main electoral plank in order to counter the BJP, leading to conflict between OBC & SC groups. However, the Mandir-Mandal issue didn't have much impact in the politics of the state which had been under Communist rule since 1977. As the Janata Dal was open to supporting both BJP & Congress, the support of the Left Front became the more important on the national stage. CPI(M) stalwart & the incumbent Chief Minister Jyoti Basu had been even offered the post of Prime Minister by the Congress when the Janata Dal government of V. P. Singh collapsed in 1990 due to BJP's withdrawal of support & again when the Congress withdrew its support from Chandra Shekhar's government in 1991.

In midst of such political instability, 2 factions developed within the state Congress unit. One faction led by Pranab Mukherjee was in favour of forging an electoral understanding with the Left Front in the state in order to gain their support on the national level. The other faction led by anti-Communist leaders like Siddharta Shankar Ray & Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi was stauchly opposed to it. The rivalry between these 2 groups played out in open during the 1992 elections to the post of state PCC president. The pro-Communist faction sided with Mukherjee's protégé, 4-time Sealdah MLA Somen Mitra, while the anti-Communist faction sided with Ray's protégé, state Youth Congress president & South Kolkata MP Mamata Banerjee.[4] Mukherjee played a decisive role in ensuring Mitra's victory in this election by having Banerjee's main supporter Ray sent out of the state as India's ambassador to the US at that time. Somen Mitra's and Mamata Banerjee's factions continued to fight over the choice of candidates to be fielded.[5] Banerjee played an important role in rallying public support for the party & fielding many new faces from the Youth Congress as the party's candidate.[5][6]

The Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury contested the Nabagram seat from jail, being imprisoned on murder charges.[7] His speeches were recorded from prison and played at campaign meetings.[7]

The Indian National Congress and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha had entered into alliance.[8]

Results

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The Left Front won the election, entering into government for a fifth consecutive term.[3] Winning 203 out of 294 seats, the 1996 election represented the first major electoral set-back for the Left Front since its foundation.[9][10] The electoral losses were primarily felt in Calcutta and the industrial areas, and nine incumbent Left Front ministers failed to get re-elected.[9] All JD candidates finished in second place and RCPI lost its representation in the assembly.[10] However, in terms of votes the Left Front and the five JD candidates got 18,143,795 votes (49.3%).[11] Jyoti Basu's fifth Left Front government was sworn in, with 48 ministers representing all 13 districts of the state.[9]

Party Candidates Seats Votes %
Left Front and allies Communist Party of India (Marxist) 213 153 13,670,198 37.16
All India Forward Bloc 34 21 1,912,183 5.20
Revolutionary Socialist Party 23 18 1,367,439 3.72
Communist Party of India 12 6 642,993 1.75
Marxist Forward Bloc 2 2 150,099 0.41
Democratic Socialist Party (Prabodh Chandra) 2 2 129,367 0.35
Revolutionary Communist Party of India (Rasik Bhatt) 2 0 105,366 0.29
Biplobi Bangla Congress 1 1 60,453 0.16
Janata Dal 5 0 105,697 0.29
Indian National Congress 288 82 14,523,964 39.48
Bharatiya Janata Party 292 0 2,372,480 6.45
Gorkha National Liberation Front 3 3 161,498 0.44
Jharkhand Party (Naren) 8 1 145,503 0.40
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha 26 0 134,436 0.37
Forward Bloc (Socialist) 20 1 123,316 0.34
Bahujan Samaj Party 48 0 67,853 0.18
Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation 30 0 47,206 0.13
Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League 3 0 43,261 0.12
All India Indira Congress (Tiwari) 29 0 20,555 0.06
Muslim League 20 0 19,221 0.05
Amra Bangalee 46 0 17,330 0.05
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (Mardi) 5 0 11,593 0.03
Pachim Banga Rajya Muslim League 5 0 5,359 0.01
Indian National League 7 0 4,480 0.01
Social Action Party 16 0 4,476 0.01
Jharkhand Party 5 0 3,533 0.01
Hul Jharkhand Party 2 0 3,309 0.01
Bharatiya Minorities Suraksha Mahasangh 2 0 2,448 0.01
Samajwadi Jan Parishad 2 0 1,218 0.00
Indian Democratic People's Party 3 0 515 0.00
All India Christian Democratic and Backward People's Party 1 0 392 0.00
Indian Union Muslim League 1 0 251 0.00
Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha 2 0 178 0.00
Akhil Bharatiya Jan Sangh 1 0 49 0.00
Independents 844 4 898,677 2.44
Total 2,035 294 36,788,753 100
Source: Election Commission of India[10]

Elected members

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Constituency Reserved for
(SC/ST/None)
Member Party
Mekliganj SC Ramesh Roy All India Forward Bloc
Sitalkuchi SC Sudhir Pramanik Communist Party of India
Mathabhanga SC Dinesh Chandra Dakua Communist Party of India
Cooch Behar North None Mihir Goswami Indian National Congress
Cooch Behar West None Soumindra Chandra Das All India Forward Bloc
Sitai None Md. Fazle Haque Independent
Dinhata None Kamal Guha Forward Bloc
Natabari None Sibendra Narayan Chowdhuri Communist Party of India
Tufanganj SC Puspa Chandra Das Communist Party of India
Kumargram ST Salib Toppo Revolutionary Socialist Party
Kalchini ST Manohar Tirkey Revolutionary Socialist Party
Alipurduars None Nirmal Das Revolutionary Socialist Party
Falakata SC Jogesh Chandra Barman Communist Party of India
Madarihat ST Sushil Kujur Revolutionary Socialist Party
Dhupguri SC Banamali Roy Communist Party of India
Nagrakata ST Chaitan Munda Communist Party of India
Mainaguri SC Bachcha Mohan Ray Revolutionary Socialist Party
Mal ST Jagannath Oraon Communist Party of India
Kranti None Sudhan Raha Communist Party of India
Jalpaiguri None Anupam Sen Indian National Congress
Rajganj SC Jatindra Nath Roy Communist Party of India
Kalimpong None Gaulan Lepcha Gorkha National Liberation Front
Darjeeling None Nar Bahadur Chettri Gorkha National Liberation Front
Kurseong None Shanta Chhetri Gorkha National Liberation Front
Siliguri None Ashok Bhattacharya Communist Party of India
Phansidewa ST Prokash Minj Communist Party of India
Chopra None Mahamuddin Communist Party of India
Islampur None Abdul Karim Chowdhury Indian National Congress
Goalpokhar None Hafiz Alam Sairani All India Forward Bloc
Karandighi None Suresh Chandra Singha All India Forward Bloc
Raiganj SC Dilip Kumar Das Indian National Congress
Kaliaganj SC Pramatha Nath Ray Indian National Congress
Kushmandi SC Narmada Chandra Roy Revolutionary Socialist Party
Itahar None Sri Kumar Mukherjee Communist Party of India
Gangarampur None Minati Ghosh Communist Party of India
Tapan ST Khara Soren Revolutionary Socialist Party
Kumarganj None Roy Dwijendra Nath Communist Party of India
Balurghat None Biswanath Choudhury Revolutionary Socialist Party
Habibpur ST Jadu Hembram Communist Party of India
Gajol ST Debnath Murmu Communist Party of India
Kharba None Mahbubul Hoque Indian National Congress
Harishchandrapur None Birendra Kumar Maitra All India Forward Bloc
Ratua None Samar Mukherjee Indian National Congress
Araidanga None Sabitri Mitra Indian National Congress
Malda SC Phani Bhusan Roy Indian National Congress
Englishbazar None Goutam Chakravartty Indian National Congress
Manikchak None Ram Prabesh Mondal Indian National Congress
Suzapur None Rubi Noor Indian National Congress
Kaliachak None Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury Indian National Congress
Farakka None Mainul Haque Indian National Congress
Aurangabad None Humayun Reza Indian National Congress
Suti None Mohammad Sohrab Indian National Congress
Sagardighi SC Das Paresh Nath Communist Party of India
Jangipur None Habibur Rahaman Indian National Congress
Lalgola None Abu Hena Indian National Congress
Bhagabangola None Abu Sufian Sarkar Indian National Congress
Nabagram None Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury Indian National Congress
Murshidabad None Mozammel Haque Independent
Jalangi None Unus Sarkar Communist Party of India
Domkal None Anisur Rahman Communist Party of India
Naoda None Jayanta Kumar Biswas Revolutionary Socialist Party
Hariharpara None Mozammel Haque Communist Party of India
Berhampore None Maya Rani Paul Indian National Congress
Beldanga None Timir Baran Bhaduri Revolutionary Socialist Party
Kandi None Atish Chandra Sinha Indian National Congress
Khargram SC Biswanath Mandal Communist Party of India
Barwan None Debabrata Banerjee Revolutionary Socialist Party
Bharatpur None Id Mahammad Revolutionary Socialist Party
Karimpur None Chittaranjan Biswas Communist Party of India
Palashipara None Kamalendu Sanyal (sasthi) Communist Party of India
Nakashipara None Shaikh Khabir Uddin Ahmed Communist Party of India
Kaliganj None Abdus Salam Munshi Indian National Congress
Chapra None Mir Quasem Mondal Communist Party of India
Krishnaganj SC Sushil Biswas Communist Party of India
Krishnagar East None Sibdas Mukherjee Indian National Congress
Krishnagar West None Sunil Kumar Ghosh Communist Party of India
Nabadwip None Biswanath Mitra Communist Party of India
Santipur None Ajoy De Indian National Congress
Hanskhali SC Biswas Shashanka Shekhor Indian National Congress
Ranaghat East SC Binay Krishna Biswas Communist Party of India
Ranaghat West None Shankar Singha Indian National Congress
Chakdaha None Satyasadhan Chakraborty Communist Party of India
Haringhata None Mili Hira Communist Party of India
Bagdaha SC Kamalakshi Biswas All India Forward Bloc
Bongaon None Pankaj Ghosh Communist Party of India
Gaighata None Manmatha Roy Communist Party of India
Habra None Baren Basu Communist Party of India
Ashokenagar None Nirode Roy Choudhury Communist Party of India
Amdanga None Hashim Abdul Halim Communist Party of India
Barasat None Ashoke Mukherjee Indian National Congress
Rajarhat SC Rabindra Nath Mandal Communist Party of India
Deganga None Md. Yakub All India Forward Bloc
Swarupnagar None Mostafa Bin Quassem Communist Party of India
Baduria None Quazi Abdul Guffar Indian National Congress
Basirhat None Narayan Mukherjee Communist Party of India
Hasnabad None Gautam Deb Communist Party of India
Haroa SC Kshiti Ranjan Mondal Communist Party of India
Sandeshkhali SC Kanti Biswas Communist Party of India
Hingalganj SC Nripen Gayen Communist Party of India
Gosaba SC Ganesh Mondal Revolutionary Socialist Party
Basanti SC Subhas Naskar Revolutionary Socialist Party
Kultali SC Prabod Purkait Independent
Joynagar None Deba Prasad Sarkar Independent
Baruipur None Sovandeb Chattopadhyay Indian National Congress
Canning West SC Bimal Mistry Communist Party of India
Canning East None Abdur Razzak Molla Communist Party of India
Bhangar None Badal Zamadar Communist Party of India
Jadavpur None Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Communist Party of India
Sonarpur SC Bhadreswar Mondal Communist Party of India
Bishnupur East SC Ananda Kumar Biswas Communist Party of India
Bishnupur West None Sankar Saran Naskar Communist Party of India
Behala East None Kumkum Chakraborti Communist Party of India
Behala West None Nirmal Mukherjee Communist Party of India
Garden Reach None Mohammed Amin Communist Party of India
Maheshtala None Mursalin Molla Communist Party of India
Budge Budge None Ashok Kumar Deb Indian National Congress
Satgachia None Jyoti Basu Communist Party of India
Falta None Sudhir Bhattacharjee Indian National Congress
Diamond Harbour None Sheikh Daulat Ali Indian National Congress
Magrahat West None Abul Basar Laskar Indian National Congress
Magrahat East SC Nirmal Sinha Communist Party of India
Mandirbazar SC Nikunja Paik Communist Party of India
Mathurapur None Satya Ranjan Bapuli Indian National Congress
Kulpi SC Sakuntala Paik Communist Party of India
Patharpratima None Gopal Krishna Dey Indian National Congress
Kakdwip None Ashok Giri Communist Party of India
Sagar None Prabhanjan Mondal Communist Party of India
Bijpur None Kamal Sengupta Basu Communist Party of India
Naihati None Ranjit Kundu Communist Party of India
Bhatpara None Bidyut Ganguli Communist Party of India
Jagatdal None Anay Gopal Sinha Indian National Congress
Noapara None Madan Mohan Nath Communist Party of India
Titagarh None Prabin Kumar Shaw Communist Party of India
Khardah None Dr. Ashim Kumar Dasgupta Communist Party of India
Panihati None Nirmal Ghosh Indian National Congress
Kamarhati None Shanti Ghatak Communist Party of India
Baranagar None Amar Choudhury Revolutionary Socialist Party
Dum Dum None Sankar Sen Communist Party of India
Belgachia East None Subhas Chakraborty Communist Party of India
Cossipur None Tarak Bandyopadhyay Indian National Congress
Shyampukur None Santi Ranjan Ganguly All India Forward Bloc
Jorabagan None Sanjoy Bakshi Indian National Congress
Jorasanko None Deokinandan Poddar Indian National Congress
Bara Bazar None Rajesh Khaitan Indian National Congress
Bow Bazar None Sudip Bandyopadhyay Indian National Congress
Chowringhee None Subarata Mukherjee Indian National Congress
Kabitirtha None Ram Pyare Ram Indian National Congress
Alipore None Saugata Roy Indian National Congress
Rashbehari Avenue None Hoimi Basu Indian National Congress
Tollygunge None Pankaj Banerjee Indian National Congress
Dhakuria None Kshiti Goswami Revolutionary Socialist Party
Ballygunge None Rabin Deb Communist Party of India
Entally None Sultan Ahmed Indian National Congress
Taltola SC Tapati Saha Communist Party of India
Beliaghata None Manabendra Mukherjee Communist Party of India
Sealdah None Somendra Nath Mitra Indian National Congress
Vidyasagar None Tapas Roy Indian National Congress
Burtola None Sadhan Pande Indian National Congress
Manicktola None Paresh Paul Indian National Congress
Belgachia West None Rajdeo Goala Communist Party of India
Bally None Kanika Ganguly Communist Party of India
Howrah North None Lagan Deo Singh Communist Party of India
Howrah Central None Ambica Banerjee Indian National Congress
Howrah South None Pralay Talukdar Communist Party of India
Shibpur None Jatu Lahiri Indian National Congress
Domjur None Padmanidhi Dhar Communist Party of India
Jagatballavpur None M. Ansaruddin Communist Party of India
Panchla None Gulsan Mullick Indian National Congress
Sankrail SC Sital Kumar Sardar Indian National Congress
Uluberia North SC Ramjanam Majhi Indian National Congress
Uluberia South None Ghose Rabindra All India Forward Bloc
Shyampur None Sanjib Kumar Das Indian National Congress
Bagnan None Sabuj Dutta Indian National Congress
Kalyanpur None Asit Mitra Indian National Congress
Amta None Pratyush Mukherjee Communist Party of India
Udaynarayanpur None Nanigopal Chowdhury Communist Party of India
Jangipara None Ibha Dey Communist Party of India
Chanditala None Akbor Ali Khandoker Indian National Congress
Uttarpara None Jyoti Krishna Chattapadhyay Communist Party of India
Serampore None Jyoti Chowdhury Indian National Congress
Champdani None Abdul Mannan Indian National Congress
Chandernagore None Kamal Mukherjee Indian National Congress
Singur None Das Bidyut Kumar Communist Party of India
Haripal None Kali Prasad Biswas Communist Party of India
Tarakeswar None Pratim Chatterjee Communist Party of India
Chinsurah None Naren Dey All India Forward Bloc
Bansberia None Robin Mukherjee Indian National Congress
Balagarh SC Dibakanta Routh Communist Party of India
Pandua None Ali Sk. Majed Communist Party of India
Polba None Saktipada Khanra Communist Party of India
Dhaniakhali SC Kripasindhu Saha All India Forward Bloc
Pursurah None Nimai Mal Communist Party of India
Khanakul SC Banshi Badan Maitra Communist Party of India
Arambagh None Binoy Datta Communist Party of India
Goghat SC Shiba Prasad Malick All India Forward Bloc
Chandrakona None Gurupada Dutta Communist Party of India
Ghatal SC Ratan Pakhira Communist Party of India
Daspur None Mukhopadhaya Chitta Ranjan Communist Party of India
Nandanpur None Chhaya Bera Communist Party of India
Panskura West None Chitta Ranjan Das Thakur Communist Party of India
Panskura East None Biplab Ray Chowdhury Indian National Congress
Tamluk None Anil Mudi Indian National Congress
Moyna None Dipak Bera Communist Party of India
Mahishadal None Sukumar Das Indian National Congress
Sutahata SC Tushar Kanti Mandal Indian National Congress
Nandigram None Debisankar Panda Indian National Congress
Narghat None Brahmamoy Nanda Communist Party of India
Bhagabanpur None Khanra Ajit Indian National Congress
Khajuri SC Mondal Ramchandra Communist Party of India
Contai North None Chakradhar Maikap Communist Party of India
Contai South None Sailaja Kumar Das Indian National Congress
Ramnagar None Mrinal Kanti Roy Communist Party of India
Egra None Prabodh Chandra Sinha Communist Party of India
Mugberia None Kiranmoy Nanda Communist Party of India
Pataspur None Kamakhya Nandan Das Mahapatra Communist Party of India
Sabang None Bangal Makhanlal Independent
Pingla None Ram Pada Samanta Communist Party of India
Debra None Sk. Jahangir Karim Communist Party of India
Keshpur SC Nandarani Dal Communist Party of India
Garhbeta East None Susanta Ghosh Communist Party of India
Garhbeta West SC Krishnaprasad Duley Communist Party of India
Salbani None Khagendra Nath Mahato Communist Party of India
Midnapore None Purnendu Sengupta Communist Party of India
Kharagpur Town None Gyan Singh Sohanpal Indian National Congress
Kharagpur Rural None Haque Nazmul Communist Party of India
Keshiari ST Maheswar Murmu Communist Party of India
Narayangarh None Surjya Kanta Mishra Communist Party of India
Dantan None Nanda Gopal Bhattacharjee Communist Party of India
Nayagram ST Subhas Chandra Saren Communist Party of India
Gopiballavpur None Rana Sakti Communist Party of India
Jhargram None Buddhadev Bhakat Communist Party of India
Binpur ST Naren Hansda Jharkhand Party
Banduan ST Lakhiram Kisku Communist Party of India
Manbazar None Kamala Kanta Mahata Communist Party of India
Balrampur ST Bhandu Majhi Communist Party of India
Arsa None Nishi Kanta Mehta All India Forward Bloc
Jhalda None Satya Ranjan Mahato All India Forward Bloc
Jaipur None Shantiram Mahato Indian National Congress
Purulia None Mamata Mukherjee Communist Party of India
Para SC Bilasi Bala Sahis Communist Party of India
Raghunathpur SC Natabar Bagdi Communist Party of India
Kashipur ST Rabindranath Hembram Communist Party of India
Hura None Abinas Mahato Communist Party of India
Taldangra None Manoranjan Patra Communist Party of India
Raipur ST Upen Kisku Communist Party of India
Ranibandh ST Deblina Hembram Communist Party of India
Indpur SC Kirity Bagdi Communist Party of India
Chhatna None Subhas Goswami Revolutionary Socialist Party
Gangajalghati SC Angad Bauri Communist Party of India
Barjora None Susmita Biswas Communist Party of India
Bankura None Partha De Communist Party of India
Onda None Anil Mukherjee All India Forward Bloc
Vishnupur None Jayanta Chowdhury Communist Party of India
Kotulpur None Gouripada Dutta Communist Party of India
Indas SC Nandadulal Majhi Communist Party of India
Sonamukhi SC Haradhan Bauri Communist Party of India
Kulti None Acharyya Maniklal All India Forward Bloc
Barabani None Manik Upadhyay Indian National Congress
Hirapur None Shyamadas Banerjee Indian National Congress
Asansol None Tapas Banerjee Indian National Congress
Raniganj None Bansha Gopal Chowdhury Communist Party of India
Jamuria None Pelab Kabi Communist Party of India
Ukhra SC Bagdi Lakhan Communist Party of India
Durgapur-i None Mrinal Banerjee Communist Party of India
Durgapur-ii None Debabrata Benerjee Communist Party of India
Kanksa SC Ankura Saresh Communist Party of India
Ausgram SC Kartick Chandra Bag Communist Party of India
Bhatar None Subhas Mondal Communist Party of India
Galsi None Idrish Mondal All India Forward Bloc
Burdwan North None Nisith Adhikary Communist Party of India
Burdwan South None Shyamaprosad Bose Communist Party of India
Khandaghosh SC Dalui Shibaprasad Communist Party of India
Raina None Shyamaprosad Pal Communist Party of India
Jamalpur SC Samar Hazra Communist Party of India
Memari None Tapas Chattopadhyay Communist Party of India
Kalna None Anju Kar Communist Party of India
Nadanghat None Biren Ghosh Communist Party of India
Manteswar None Abu Ayesh Mondal Communist Party of India
Purbasthali None Dutta Himangshu Communist Party of India
Katwa None Rabindra Nath Chatterjee Indian National Congress
Mangalkot None Sadhana Mallik Communist Party of India
Ketugram SC Majhi Tamal Communist Party of India
Nanur SC Anandagopal Das Communist Party of India
Bolpur None Tapan Hore Revolutionary Socialist Party
Labhpur None Manik Chandra Mondal Communist Party of India
Dubrajpur None Bhakti Bhusan Mondal All India Forward Bloc
Rajnagar SC Bijoy Bagdi All India Forward Bloc
Suri None Suniti Chattaraj Indian National Congress
Mahammad Bazar None Dhiren Sen Communist Party of India
Mayureswar SC Dhiren Let Communist Party of India
Rampurhat None Mahammad Hannan All India Forward Bloc
Hansan SC Asit Kumar Mal Indian National Congress
Nalhati None Kalimuddin Shams All India Forward Bloc
Murarai None Motahar Hossain Indian National Congress

Aftermath

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The Congress lost power in the general elections to the BJP, however BJP was unable to obtain majority in the Parliament on its own. Jyoti Basu, who had been re-elected as CM for a record 5th time, was offered the post of Prime Minister by both the Congress & the Janata Dal following the resignation of BJP's Atal Bihari Vajpayee within 13 days of assuming power due to lack of numbers in the Lok Sabha, lack of a consensual prime-ministerial candidate in the Congress & V. P. Singh refusing to become prime minister again. However CPI(M)'s highest decision-making body refused this offer, believing that if it accepted Basu's prime-ministership, then due to lack of numbers in the Lok Sabha, it would have to bend to the will of the Congress, which it saw as a bourgeois organisation. Jyoti Basu later remarked that this decision of the CPI(M) was a "historic blunder". Thus being denied prime-ministership, Basu put forward the name of Janata Dal leader & Karnataka CM H. D. Deve Gowda as the prime-ministerial candidate, which was accepted by the Congress, Janata-Dal, Left Front & other parties allied with them. Deve Gowda resigned after a year due to withdrawal of Congress' support & was succeeded by his Minister of External Affairs, Janata Dal leader Inder Kumar Gujral. Gujral resigned a year later, due to split in the Janata Dal caused by Lalu Prasad Yadav's expulsion due to his involvement in the fodder scam & the Congress withdrawing its support due to Gujral's refusal to expel DMK from the government, whose leader M. Karunanidhi had been implicated in assisting Rajiv Gandhi's murder in Jain Commission's report.

In January 1998, following disagreements with both AICC President Sitaram Kesri & state PCC president Somen Mitra over the Congress party's approach towards the Left Front, Mamata Banerjee left the Congress & formed her own party, consisting mostly of the supporters of Siddhartha Shankar Ray. Her party, in alliance with BJP, won 7 seats from the state in the general elections held on February that year, while the Congress retained only one seat & lost 7 others from the state. Somen Mitra resigned as the state PCC chief after this debacle & was succeeded by A. B. A. Ghani Khan Choudhury, the lone Congress MP from the state.

References

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  1. ^ M. L. Ahuja (2000). Handbook of General Elections and Electoral Reforms in India, 1952–1999. Mittal Publications. p. 49. ISBN 978-81-7099-766-5.
  2. ^ The Hindu. The case against simultaneous polls
  3. ^ a b c India Today. Shrinking mandate
  4. ^ "No 'Ekla Cholo' For Pranab Mukherjee, He Believed In 'Sabka Saath". timesofindia.indiatimes.com.
  5. ^ a b India Today. West Bengal: Advantage Left Front
  6. ^ rediff.com. The X Factor
  7. ^ a b Indian Express. TMC’s Madan Mitra electoral battle from jail looks a winner
  8. ^ Communist Party of India (Marxist). Review of the May 2001 Assembly Elections (may 2001)
  9. ^ a b c N. Jose Chander (1 January 2004). Coalition Politics: The Indian Experience. Concept Publishing Company. pp. 105–111. ISBN 978-81-8069-092-1.
  10. ^ a b c Election Commission of India. STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTION, 1996 TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF WEST BENGAL
  11. ^ Election Commission of India. STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTION, 1991 TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF WEST BENGAL
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