The civic election results in West Bengal have come as a blow to two Congress stalwarts -- Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee and former railway minister A B A Ghani Khan Chowdhury.

The Congress party suffered reverses in its strongholds of Murshidabad and Malda districts at the hands of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Front.

"We are analysing our party's reverses in our two traditional strongholds. The bitter factional rivalry might have contributed to the Congress suffering a surprise defeat in Murshidabad despite Pranab Mukherjee's hectic campaigning," a West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee leader said.

"Also, losing the municipality to the Left Front in Malda was a setback for party strongman Chowdhury," the WBPCC leader continued.

In Sunday's polls to 79 municipalities across the state, the results of which were declared on Wednesday, the Left Front won in 49 municipalities and Congress in 12, one less than in the 2000 polls.

The Trinamul Congress won in three municipalities and the Gorkha National Liberation Front bagged one.

The poll results in another seven municipalities threw up hung boards.