The clear mandate in favour of the Left Front in West Bengal's Assembly elections brought to the forefront once again the turmoil that had marked state's politics in the last few months. It proved wrong the pundits who predicted a close run for the Left Front.
The success of the six-month incumbent Chief Minister and confusion of the challenger has led to a result that was unexpected but not unwelcome to industry.
Half a year ago, when Chief Minister Jyoti Basu stepped down in favour of the low-key Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, the Left Front seemed down in the dumps and a Mamata Banerjee wave was sweeping the state. As the Union railway minister, it seemed the firebrand Opposition leader could do no wrong.
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By May 10, 2001, she appeared to have messed up her act totally. She ended the elections with hardly any gains, in isolation nationally having quit her railway portfolio, and with only Sonia Gandhi to console her. So what went astray?
Top industry sources were unanimous that it was Bhattacharya's unexpectedly good showing that derailed the Mamata express. He reached out to industry, sent out clear, pro-growth signals and worked overtime to establish his credentials with investors and overseas trade missions based in the state.
He went out of his way to identify himself with information technology, services industry development and cajoled labour unions whenever they threatened to step out of line. His pro-industry, self-critical approach was in stark contrast to the lack of any policy on this account from the Opposition.
While this had industry jumping hoops with joy, Bhattacharya worked equally hard to reverse Basu's image of arrogance, visiting common citizens whenever there was a tragedy or outrage. Critics said he was copying Mamata. On May 10, he proved his human touch had outdone the lady's.
The Left Front, discliplined soldiers all, would of course go all out to deny that the individual had any role to play in the victory, the party being against such individual-oriented frivolity. But industry sources rubbished this line.
As one said, "People have elected a government and its leader, not the party. The credit is clearly Bhattacharya's creation, not that of the faceless Alimuddin Street men". If anything, such an opinion would only embarrass Bhattacharya.
Mamata also helped. Except for railway projects, she failed to come up with any prescription for economic growth. She could not communicate with voters on new job creation or opportunities but promised revival if elected. It sounded too hollow to be true or honest.
Politically, she lived up to the unpredictable image her critics portrayed, converting her achievements into disasters. She forced the government to partially roll back fuel prices, but got a bad name for it. Her pro-Bengal railway budget was passed despite criticism but nobody remembered to thank her.
She was perpetually clashing with members in the Vajpayee government and even the doting Prime Minister's unprecedented visit to her home failed to soothe her. She had spats with the state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership, particularly head honcho Tapan Sikdar.
If she feared the BJP link was driving Bengal's 24 per cent minority vote away from her, she seemed lost for ideas to reverse it. Above all, her common touch had suddenly become too common, and often, too strident.
The last straw was Telhelka. Mamata abandoned Vajpayee, but doing so cost her the goodwill and respect the Prime Minister enjoyed in the mind of voters. In a materialistic sense, it showed voters that she could no longer ensure pro-Bengal projects from the Centre.
At the human level, BJP lost no time in telling people that she had betrayed the PM and would betray them as well. Abandoning the PM gained Mamata nothing and cost her projects and votes.
And then she turned to the Congress, the party she used to call the CPIM's 'B' team, for support. Sonia Gandhi's brigade and head honcho Pranab Mukherjee offered an alliance that spent more time fighting with Mamata on seats than on building an alliance.
Even the minorities appeared disgusted with her shift, abandoning the stridently 'secular' Congress and Mamata in favour of the Left again. The result was the May 10 washout.
Industry cheers verdict
Industry appeared relieved and happy with the clear mandate that has emerged in favour of the Left Front in the West Bengal elections.
The emotion was based on two factors: confidence that the stability of the last few years would continue and that the new government would continue with the pro-growth policies of Buddhadeb Bhattacharya's six-month government.
"The Front should capitalise on the mandate and prove the "new Left" actually wants growth and would give stability", said top industry sources, adding Bhattacharya had made all the right moves and deserved a second chance.
On prescriptions for economic growth, there was a consensus within the group polled.
Development of service industries, infrastructure and information technology-driven growth were the issues highlighted by all the respondents.