Bengal bypolls show electoral manipulation: CPI-M

Kolkata, Feb 16 (IANS) The CPI-M Monday said the results of the by-polls to assembly and Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal, where the ruling Trinamool Congress retained the seats, were a reflection of how the electoral system was "being manipulated".

Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) politburo member Sitaram Yechury said the results of the bypolls to the Bongaon Lok Sabha and Krishnaganj assembly seats did not reflect the people's verdict.

"Elections these days depend on lot of other factors other than what the people's actual choice is," he told media persons while reacting to the results of the Feb 13 by-poll.

"That is the misfortune that we are having that our parliamentary democracy system is getting thoroughly distorted either by money power or muscle power or both."

"Bengal elections largely do not reflect the people's verdict or opinion rather how is the electoral system being manipulated," said Yechury after his party finished third in Krishnaganj and second in Bongaon.

In Bongaon in North 24 Parganas district, Trinamool candidate Mamatabala Thakur trounced her nearest rival CPI-M's Debesh Das by over 2.11 lakh votes.

In Krishnaganj in Nadia district, Trinamool candidate Satyajit Biswas won by over 37,000 votes against his closest rival Manabendra Roy of the Bharatiya Janata Party.