The map of West Bengal has turned green with intermittent patches of red as the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress swept to power bulldozing the CPIM-led Left Front with a success rate of over 81%.
The party which fielded candidates in 227 of the 294 constituencies bagged 184 seats with a success rate of 81.05%.
In the 2006 assembly election, TC had managed to win only 30 seats with a vote percentage of 26.64.
Trinamool's ally Congress also encashed on the people's mood for change and improved its performance in the just-concluded assembly poll.
Congress which had contested in 65 constituencies, achieved a success rate of 64.61% securing 42 seats compared to 21 won by it in 2006 election.
That its alliance with TC paid dividends was clear from the fact that its tally in the last election was half when it had contested alone.
The success of the TC was not limited to any particular pocket and the party breached the traditional left stronghold like West Midnapore, Purulia, Bankura, Burdwan, Howrah and Hooghly.
TC's success was so spectacular this time that it even dwarfed its performance in the 2009 Lok Sabha poll.
Compared to the Lok Sabha elections held two years ago when TC had a lead in 14 of the 16 seats in Howrah, this time the party made a clean sweep in the district snapping up all the seats with the CPI(M) and its left allies drawing a blank.
In neighbouring Hooghly district also Trinamool scored a splendid victory capturing 16 of the 18 seats.
Here also the party improved its showing compared to the 2009 Lok Sabha poll when it had a lead in 10 constituencies.
What could have been unthinkable in the past has happened in this election with CPI(M)-led Left pushed to the wall even in districts like Bankura and Purulia.
Of the 12 seats in Bankura, TC won nine and bagged seven out of nine seats in Purulia.
