Communists lose West Bengal

[Filuwaúrdjan]

BBC article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13374646

[homelycooking]

Does the CPIM have anything left? Tripura, perhaps?

[Teddy (IDS Legislator)]

Communists were supposed to be on the up in India, but they've been slowly vanishing.

[Insula Dei]

I wonder whether association with these guys:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naxalite

isn't hurting them?

[ag]

I wonder whether association with these guys:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naxalite

isn't hurting them?

I don't believe there is an association.

[Insula Dei]

I wonder whether association with these guys:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naxalite

isn't hurting them?

I don't believe there is an association.

In the mind of the voters there might be,... Though I'm the first to admit to total ignorance about Indian politics. (This Indira Ghandi chick, she's like Ghandi's daughter? Sister?)

[MaxQue]

I wonder whether association with these guys:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naxalite

isn't hurting them?

I don't believe there is an association.

In the mind of the voters there might be,... Though I'm the first to admit to total ignorance about Indian politics. (This Indira Ghandi chick, she's like Ghandi's daughter? Sister?)

Not at all. Indira Ghandi isn't related to Mahatma Ghandi.

[Insula Dei]

I wonder whether association with these guys:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naxalite

isn't hurting them?

I don't believe there is an association.

In the mind of the voters there might be,... Though I'm the first to admit to total ignorance about Indian politics. (This Indira Ghandi chick, she's like Ghandi's daughter? Sister?)

Not at all. Indira Ghandi isn't related to Mahatma Ghandi.

I'm sorry. i was joking about the extent of my ignorance about the subcontinetn. Perhaps the joke wasn't as clear as it sounded in my head.

[ag]

In the mind of the voters there might be,...

A WB voter, who makes this association must have been in a coma for, at least, 25 years. Everybody knows what CPI(M) is and what it is not.

[ag]

This all is humongous!

Was expectable, but, still, this is bigger than SNP taking Scotland. Much bigger!

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Especially as Salmond has been First Minister for four years

[ag]

This is not WOW, this is WOWOWOWOW!

I looked at the results - didn't have time before.

http://eciresults.ap.nic.in/

Also, Commies (narrowly) lost Kerala to a Congress-led coalition - though, I guess, there that's the normal alternation of which they are likely to stay a main component. But WB - that's beautiful!

Oh, the holy Jyoti Basu, your troop is nothing without you.

[ag]

So, I guess, worth reporting the results
West Bengal

Party/Alliance (Change from 2006)

All India Trinamool Congress/ UPA 184 (+154)
Indian National Congress/ UPA 42 (+21)
Communist Party of India (Marxist)/LF 40 (-135)
All India Forward Block/LF 11 (-12)
Revolutionary Socialist Party/LF 7 (-13)
Communist Party of India/LF 2 (-7)
Samajwadi Party/LF? 1 (+1)
Others 7

[ag]

Most members of the state cabinet lost their seats, amon them Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, finance minister Asim Dasgupta, industry minister Nirupam Sen, urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya and housing minister Gautam Deb.

[ag]

Interestingly enough, though rout in seats, it is a bit more eve in votest: 49% for UPA (TC+INC), 41% for the Left Front.

[mileslunn]

I don't know much about Indian politics, but all I can say is good.  Is the replacement on the right or left?  If India wants to become the next superpower they need governments who are pro-growth and pro-free market with some regulations to regulate its excesses.  Here in Canada, I believe the Tories made strong gains amongst the South Asian community, especially the Hindus whereas the NDP more amongst the Sikhs and Muslims.  Considering how many East Indians in Canada go for centre-right parties at various levels of government, I am assuming there is probably a fairly sizeable centre-right contingent, mind you immigrant communities aren't always representative of the demographics in their home country.

[Foucaulf]

The gravity of this election is finally sinking in. The CPIM has lost West Bengal; Indian communism has finally been slapped off its pedestal. Waxing poetic over the economy didn't break Calcutta, but the obliteration of any doubt over the party's ethics did it in. It's always absurd to see communists swept out on the same revolutionary fervour that drove them in decades ago.

I don't know much about Indian politics, but all I can say is good.  Is the replacement on the right or left?  If India wants to become the next superpower they need governments who are pro-growth and pro-free market with some regulations to regulate its excesses. 
[...]
mind you immigrant communities aren't always representative of the demographics in their home country.

Minister-in-waiting Mamata Banerjee is a populist. Seems like she ran with complete opposition to the land laundering of the communists, but since she's allies of the federal government she won't do much to deviate from the national economic strategy: neoliberal with a focus on ending the stratification of Indian society.

And there are only ~25000 Bengalis in Canada. There's no way we can graft Canadian election trends onto 250 million of these people.

[minionofmidas]

Interestingly enough, though rout in seats, it is a bit more eve in votest: 49% for UPA (TC+INC), 41% for the Left Front.

I wouldn't have expected anything else.

[Sbane]

I'm extremely happy the commies are finally gone but Mamata isn't that much better. She is the reason why the Tata Nano is built in Gujarat, not in West Bengal. That being said she will act differently once in power. And I can't believe just how many seats Trinamool picked up. Anyone have a map or know where I can find one? Can't find it on India's election website.

[Hash]

What are the main reasons for the defeat of the CPIM?

[ag]

Anyone have a map or know where I can find one? Can't find it on India's election website.

Here it is. Though not visually well-done: you have to point to districts, etc. But, still, you'll get the idea:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/specials/coverage/Assembly-Elections-2011/map.aspx

[ag]

Sorry, the direct link seems not to work.

Try just clicking no the map on the right hand side of this page:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/specials/coverage/Assembly-Elections-2011/Comrade-blames-Buddha-for-defeat/kolkata/SP-Article10-697697.aspx

[ag]

Hm. Seems hindustan times map isn't working anymore - at least, not on my computer. Strange.

[Sbane]

Live streaming CNN-IBN.
http://ibnlive.in.com/livetv/

What are the main reasons for the defeat of the CPIM?

Corruption and generally bad governance. They have been in power for more than 30 years, so basically everything wrong with the state is the commies fault as far as the electorate is concerned.

There were also some land acquisition battles between industry and farmers where the CPM helped industry/shot down protestors, which hurt them pretty badly. Mamata also used this issue to create a populist fervor and stopped some promising projects, which is why I'm not overly ecstatic about Mamata as CM. But she's better than the CPM for sure.

[ag]

Yeah, and there is a beautiful map there:

http://ibnlive.in.com/election2011/constituency/result/west-bengal.html