India - Communists face defeat in Bengal by-Elections.

Indian communists suffered another defeat in their once strong-hold, West Bengal in the recently concluded by-elections. Both constituencies in which the by-polls conducted, the communist supported candidates are defeated by the candidates of Trinamul Congress with a higher margin of votes.

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The by-polls became necessary after Congress legislators Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Somen Mitra were disqualified by Speaker H.A. Halim under the anti-defection law for crossing over to the Trinamool Congress.

Both of them are now Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha members. Sikha is Somen Mitra's wife.

The Trinamool Congress victory margin appeared all the more impressive as only 41 percent vote was cast on an average in the polls.

The results indicated a further slip in Left vote, as the Trinamool candidates won by a higher margin than Bandyopadhyay had in these assembly segments when he won from the Kolkata North Lok Sabha constituency in May.