LEFT Front Chairman Biman Basu, in a statement issued on May 16, admitted that this result was not expected. He said, the state administration and police have worked for the ruling party. The ruling party unleashed terror, and the corporate media too unleashed a campaign. Despite that the people and the Left Front activists have courageously fought in the elections. Basu said that the TMC’s win in a large number of seats has accentuated the dangers to democracy. On the other hand, the strengthening of BJP, led by Sangh Parivar has brought new challenges to secularism and to the livelihood of the people. Under these circumstances, the Left Front will continue its fight for the livelihood of the people and to safeguard secularism. The Left Front has appealed to all the Left, democratic and secular forces to unite to strengthen the struggle. The Left Front has appealed to people to defend peace and peoples’ rights, strengthen toiling peoples’ unity and resist attacks on livelihoods. The Left Front in West Bengal has suffered unprecedented electoral loss, after a very difficult and strong battle. While the details of election results are yet to be analysed, the rightward shift of a major section of electorate is evident. However, six months ago, it was hard to believe that the Left would be able to remobilise and offer even a decent fight in West Bengal. The marauding assault on Left parties in Panchayat elections, leading to thousands of seats going ‘uncontested’, thousands of supporters leaving their homes, hundreds facing false police cases created an extremely difficult environment for the Left to advance. Whatever the final tally of seats won and lost, the Left put up a mighty struggle marked by intensive political campaign, huge mass mobilisations, putting in place the debates, trying to expose the ruling party, and finally facing the unprecedented terror unleashed during the polling.