Kolkata: Expressing serious concern over the erosion in the Left parties' votebank, the CPI on Sunday conceded that their agitations in the recent past on various issues had not produced the desired outcome.
"We are seriously worried about the erosion of our (left parties') votebank," Communist Party of India (CPI) general secretary S. Sudhakar Reddy told reporters here.
"Our agitations on various issues have not produced the desired results in the recent past," he said.
In an introspective mood, Reddy said the "link" between the Left parties and the people have "weakened".
He said the Left parties suffered in the recent Lok Sabha polls as the non-Congress, non-Bharatiya Janata Party alternative they had suggested could not earn the people's confidence.
Reddy also pointed out that the Left should now give top priority to "reconnect" with the people at the grassroots, particularly in the rural areas.
The top CPI leader said the BJP managed to pass the halfway mark in the Lok Sabha polls as they benefitted from the negative vote given by angry people against the "pro-corporate neo-liberal policies" of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government.
