It reached a climax when Youth Congress chief Mamata Banerjee broke away to form her own party Trinamool Congress in 1998, dealing a body blow to the organisation.
A major chunk of the anti-Left votes was garnered by the TMC which became the principal opposition party.
It ultimately ousted the Left Front from power in 2011 riding on the deftly-organised anti-land acquisition movement.
Ironically, the state Congress suffered further erosion in its credibility when the Left supported the Congress-led UPA government.
Its strength was reduced to such an extent that it ceased to exist politically in south Bengal and managed to retain its position in the north Bengal districts of Malda, Murshidabad and some pockets in the region.
