Left Front takes out mega 'Brigade Rally' with focus on 2026 polls

In a major political move ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, Leftist workers' and farmers' organisations, led by the CPI(M), held a massive rally at Kolkata’s historic Brigade Parade Ground on Sunday. This show of strength is seen as the beginning of the Left Front’s campaign to regain political relevance in the state.

After failing to win a single seat in the 2021 Assembly elections, the Left Front is now focusing on rebuilding its base through grassroots mobilization. A senior Left leader said the rally was organised to voice the long-ignored concerns of workers and farmers, and to reassert the Left’s commitment to social justice and economic equity.

Ahead of the rally, CPI(M) West Bengal state secretary Mohammed Salim stated that the turnout would exceed expectations. “It will be evident at the Brigade whether Bengal's politics will remain in the hands of looters or be reclaimed by the working class,” he said. Salim, who was one of the main speakers at the event, underlined that this was not just a rally, but a message of resurgence.

The rally addressed multiple burning issues, including the loss of jobs for nearly 26,000 teaching and non-teaching staff in government-aided schools, the controversial Waqf Amendment Act, and the recent communal violence in Murshidabad. These topics were highlighted as key examples of the current government's failure to protect public welfare and harmony.

Alongside political criticisms, the Left raised demands for a hike in workers' wages, social security for informal sector workers, and an end to the privatisation of government undertakings. The leaders also pushed for loan waivers for farmers and an increase in the minimum support price for agricultural produce. With the Brigade Parade Ground packed with red flags and banners, the rally signified a bold attempt by the Left to reclaim lost political ground and position itself as the voice of the working masses in West Bengal.