Kolkata, March 8: The election commission of India announced the polls dates for the West Bengal Assembly Elections 2021 last month. The Vidhan Sabha polls for 294-member West Bengal Assembly will take place in eight phases. The polling will be conducted between March 27 and April 29. The votes will be counted on May 2, and on the same day, the results will be declared. Ahead of the West Bengal Assembly Elections 2021, let us look at the 1977 Vidhan Sabha polls. West Bengal Assembly Election Results From 1952 to 2016: From Congress to Left And TMC, The Rise And Fall of Political Parties in The State Over The Years.

The 1977 assembly elections marked the beginning of the Left Front rule in the state. The West Bengal Assembly Elections 1977 took place after the ousting of Indira Gandhi's government at the Centre. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Jyoti Basu became the chief minister of the state for the first time.

In 1977, the Janata Party won the Lok Sabha elections. After coming to power, the Centre dissolved state assemblies of nine stated, and West Bengal was one of them. Notably, Left Front, led by the CPIM, and the Janata Party fought the 1977 parliamentary elections in an alliance, but both the parties parted ways as the seat-sharing deal remained fruitless. West Bengal Assembly Elections 1991: A Look Back at The Polling, Alliances and Results of The Previous Election Ahead of 2021 Polls.

The Left Front parties comprising CPIM, All Indi Forward Bloc, Revolutionary Socialist Party,  Revolutionary Communist Party of India, Marxist Forward Bloc and Biplobi Bangla Congress contested on 293 seats. In the elections, the Left Front registered a landslide victory by winning 231 seats out of 294. The CPIM bagged 178 seats. The Janata Party won only 29 seats, while the Congress, which formed the government in the 1972 assembly elections, managed to retain only 20 seats. West Bengal Assembly Elections 1987: Ahead of Vidhan Sabha Polls 2021, A Look Back At The Polling, Alliances and Results of The Elections in 1987.

Talking about the present political situation in the state, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is trying its best to dislodge the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) government led by Mamata Banerjee. Meanwhile, Banerjee is seeking the third consecutive term as the CM. The left parties have allied with the Congress in the West Bengal Assembly Elections 2021.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 08, 2021 06:43 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).