left-front-congress-to-seal-seat-sharing-deal-for-ls-polls-in-west-bengal

INDI Alliance faced a major setback in West Bengal with Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee refusing to agree with the demand of seats by the Congress for the Lok Sabha polls

 

However, in a dramatic change of events, the Congress is about to finalise a seat-sharing deal with the Left Front and the Indian Secular Front (ISF) in West Bengal. It is learnt that the negotiations were going on for a week.

 

CPI(M) state secretary Mohammad Salim recently left for New Delhi to meet senior Congress leaders to finalise the agreement. The Left, Congress, and ISF had contested the Assembly polls together in 2021.

 

As per the sources in the CPI(M), the Left Front — comprising the CPI, Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and All India Forward Bloc (AIFB) — has agreed to the Congress’s demand of 12 out of 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal. However, negotiations are on for making them agree with 10.

 

The state Congress leadership has, reportedly, welcomed the development.

 

“We are ready to leave Murshidabad for the CPI(M) provided they leave Purulia and Raniganj for us,” said a senior Congress leader.

 

Meanwhile, the ISF has reportedly agreed to contest six constituencies. Party leader Naushad Siddiqui, the lone non-TMC and non-BJP MLA in the state assembly at the moment, is likely to go up against TMC general secretary and sitting MP Abhishek Banerjee.

 

The Left Front itself is yet to reach an understanding over the constituencies. The party has not disclosed the number of seats on which they would contest.

 

The AIFB continues to be adamant with its approach in the traditional seats. AIFB leader Naren Chatterjee has said his party will not part with any of its three traditional seats of Purulia, Cooch Behar and Barasat. “We have already conveyed in the meeting of the Left Front that we will not give any of the three seats to either the Congress or the ISF,” an AIFB  leader said.

 

Basirhat is another seat which might emerge as a bone of contention within the Left as the CPI is not keen on giving it up to the CPI(M). It is learnt that it might field Nirapada Sardar from the seat who was arrested last month for protesting against the Sandeshkhali incident.