The Left, backed by the Congress, digging its heels in was a standout feature in most of the nine south Bengal Lok Sabha constituencies.

The candidates, the leadership, the workers, and even the supporters of the Left in some cases, refused to yield in the face of the Herculean task of standing up to the Trinamool Congress versus the BJP binary of this general election.

The Left-Congress truck’s candidates alleged that their polling agents and supporters were facing intimidation and even assault in various places of Kolkata Uttar, Kolkata Dakshin, Jadavpur, Dum Dum, Basirhat, Diamond Harbour and Mathurapur, but they showed intent by standing their ground.

Left’s candidates, such as Pratikur Rahaman of Diamond Harbour, Srijan Bhattacharya of Jadavpur, Sujan Chakraborty of Dum Dum, and the lone Congress candidate of the phase, Pradip Bhattacharya of Kolkata Uttar, remained actively on the move, through the polling hours on Saturday.

The Left’s presence on the ground was discernible, especially in the three constituencies of Kolkata Uttar, Dum Dum, and Barasat, comprising vast swathes of the city where the BJP fancies its chances — and the outcome of which Trinamool is purportedly not fully sure of. That, despite Trinamool pressing into service nearly every councillor in each of the civic wards in the three predominantly urban constituencies, to ensure hefty leads.

“This vote has been a vote of resistance, and of protest. Our people and activists left no stone unturned to ensure that the ruling dispensation does not undermine the democratic process,” said North 24-Parganas district committee member Saptarshi Deb, son of erstwhile Left Front minister Gautam Deb.

The Young Turk was tasked with overseeing poll management for the party in Rajarhat-New Town of the Barasat constituency, and he admitted that it was an uphill task.

“But that challenge was accepted and won. The people’s mandate was ensured, because the Left cadre, the activists, and the leadership were on the streets to ensure the people could cast their votes and exercise their democratic right,” he added. “We are satisfied. It’s up to the people now.”

This newspaper witnessed the Left’s undeniable presence on the ground — and even that of the Congress in its pockets of strength — when it visited numerous booths and adjoining areas of Kashipur-Belgachhia, Beleghata, Shyampukur, and Maniktala of Kolkata Uttar; Rajarhat-Gopalpur, Dum Dum (the Assembly segment), Baranagar, and Kamarhati of Dum Dum (the Lok Sabha seat); and Bidhannagar and Rajarhat-New Town of Barasat.

There were agents present in all the booths this newspaper visited — in each and every booth, according to the CPM leadership — and no camp office near booths was seen abandoned even till the end of the afternoon. Women activists and supporters were conspicuous in their presence.

State committee member Sayandeep Mitra, handling the process in Kamarhati of the Dum Dum Lok Sabha seat, was at it between 5am and 9pm on Saturday.

“Wherever there were weaknesses of the Election Commission and central forces, Trinamool tried its best to conduct malpractice, but we did not yield even an inch,” said Mitra.

“Polling agents stood their ground. Trinamool councillors deployed armies of hooligans, some veritable criminals, but we did not get intimidated and managed to stop them,” he added. “In a new, heartening experience, we saw polling agents in cent per cent of the booths, workers on the streets… young people, women in large numbers. This is not something we had seen even in 2021.”

State committee member Tarun Banerjee, with similar duties for Kolkata Uttar, virtually echoed Mitra, adding that Trinamool was largely unable to carry out malpractice outside a few booths in Kashipur-Belgachhia, Shyampukur, and Beleghata.

CPM state secretary Md. Salim lauded the role of his comrades.

“It is a matter of great pride for us, the way our candidates went everywhere, the way our agents and workers were on high alert throughout, the role every one of us played today,” said the politburo member.

However, Salim demanded a countermand and total re-election in Diamond Harbour — Trinamool Number Two Abhishek Banerjee’s seat — expressing dismay at the allegedly dubious role of the BJP, accusing its candidates and workers of being “suspiciously” missing in action through much of the day. Yet again, he alleged a “setting” between chief minister Mamata Banerjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and of their parties having conspired in the conduct of “large-scale proxy-voting” in Jadavpur, Basirhat, Kolkata Dakshin, and even Kolkata Uttar.