In a significant Assembly by-election victory having major political ramifications, Trinamool Congress today humbled the Left Front by a huge margin in its bastion Nandigram in West Bengal
Trinamool Congress candidate Firoza Bibi defeated Left Front-backed CPI nominee Paramananda Bharati by 39,551 votes in a multi-cornered contest, official sources said.
Earlier, Trinamool Congress had swept the panchayat elections in Nandigram and East Midnapore district in May last year.
The huge margin of victory has proved Trinamool's move to field Firoza Bibi, an activist of Trinamool-led Bhumi
Ucched Pratirodh Committee, whose son was killed in police firing in March, 2007 during the agitation against land
acquisition for industrial projects in Nandigram, to be a master stroke.
The victory also proved that the Trinamool's campaign against land acquisition for industrialisation continues to enjoy the support of the people and will be a big threat to the ruling Left Front in the coming Lok Shabha polls.
The by-election was caused by the resignation of CPI MLA Mohammad Illyas after a sting operation exposed his
corrupt deals.
