Left stages comeback in Bengal school council polls

Left-backed teachers won the elections to the district primary school councils in West Bengal, bagging 185 of the 192 seats.

The convincing win by the Left-backed candidates is seen as a boost for the Left parties in West Bengal which had suffered a series of reverses since the 2008 panchayat elections.

The win includes most of the teachers seats in South Bengal-- including East Midnapore, West Midnapore, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Paraganas, Howrah and Nadia-- where the Left parties had faced a rout in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls. In North Bengal, the Left retained all the 45 seats. In East Midnapur district, the Left-backed nominees won seven of 12 seats while the remaining went to Trinamool Congress.

The Left, in South 24 Paraganas district, won 13 of the 15 seats with Trinamool Congress managing to win the rest.

In both East Midnapur and South 24 Paraganas districts, the Trinamool had snatched the Zilla Parishads from the Left in 2008.