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The Communist Party of India (MarxistâÂÂs) loss in the recent West Bengal Assembly elections has claimed its first victim with the senior leader from Haryana, Jagmati Sangwan resigning from the primary membership of the party to register her protest against the partyâÂÂs decision to ally with the Congress in the State.

However, the party claimed that Jagmati Sangwan had been `expelledâ for gross indiscipline. This announcement was made at the ongoing Central Committee meeting of the CPI (M) in New Delhi. Ms Sangwan, member of the Central Committee, who had been associated with the party since 1968, had boycotted the Central Committee meeting as a mark of protest against the decision of the West Bengal government to tie up with the Congress in the just concluded Assembly election even though the Central Committee was against this decision.

An emotional Ms Sangwan, who was the face of the All India Democratic WomenâÂÂs Association (AIDWA) in Haryana, told reporters that she announced her decision to the party. She said she had opposed the West Bengal unitâÂÂs decision and made her opposition clear. In a statement issued at the conclusion of the three day meeting, the CPI (M) said that the electoral tactics adopted in West Bengal were not in consonance with the Central Committee decision not to have an alliance or understanding with the Congress.

Other than saluting its voters, the statement said the West Bengal elections were held in very difficult conditions for the CPI (M) and the Left Front. During the course of last five years, the terror unleashed by the Trinamool Congress CPI (M) had, even before the campaign began, claimed the lives of 176 comrades apart from internally displacing 60,000 families of CPI(M) members, and sympathizers. Pointing out that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had come to power in Assam for the first time and made substantial gains in Kerala, and West Bengal, the statement said the party had undertaken a very aggressive campaign in Kerala and “”mounted serious post-poll violence against the CPI(M). Overall, the Congress suffered a setback in this round of elections.

On its win in Kerala, the party said the CPI(M)-led LDF had taken a strong stand against corporatization, corruption and communalism. The LDF victory in the Assembly elections is recognition for the policy of building up Left and democratic alternative to the BJP and the Congress. Describing its performance in Tamil Nadu as disappointing, the party said the six-party alliance could not win any seat and that a major feature of the Tamil Nadu elections had been the use of money power in a big with both the AIADK and DMK distributing cash to the voters in most of the constituencies on an unprecendented scale.

Suggesting that in Tamil Nadu and Assam, where the alliance could not win even a single seat, the emphasis should be on building the independent strength of the party through class and mass struggles, and taking steps to rally all the Left and democratic forces, the statement said the Left parties in Assam had appealed to the voters to oust the Congress from power, defeat the BJP and elect the Left candidates for strengthening the unity of the people and ensuring all-round development of the State.”