Kolkata: Wherever he went to canvas for votes, he was greeted by an embarrassingly small gathering of Congress supporters.
There wasn't a way senior Congress leader and Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee could hide the fact that the Congress had lost its support base in Bengal.
In an exclusive interview to CNN-IBN, he admitted that his party was struggling to stay afloat.
"In the last elections, our presence was very miniscule. This year, we are trying to be present. But organisationally, I must say, we are not very strong. Because a large chunk of our workers have gone to the side of Trinamool Congress," admits Pranab Mukherjee, President of West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee.
But how does he propose to revive the party? Mukherjee says it's time for old guard to make way for new leaders to emerge and take over.
"There are some good leaders in different districts. I do feel that now there is a need for a generational change. Because not to speak of our generation, even the generation immediately after us should take note and give a chance to the next generation. And if we can have those smooth transition, it will be possible to strengthen the Congress in West Bengal," Mukherjee says.
With the Trinamool turning down the Congress' call for a grand alliance, there isn't much that Mukherjee's party hopes to achieve from the polls this year.
All that the Congress is fighting to deliver is a contest respectable enough to make the Trinamool regret its decision to spurn his offer.
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