Congress leaders meet Suryakanta Misra to resolve seat sharing impasse

In sheer desperation Congress leaders on Friday met Suryakanta Misra, state secretary of CPI(M) to resolve the impasse that has cropped over sharing of seats.

Knowing full well that Misra has no power to resolve the issue as the decision will have to be taken in the Left Front where Biman Bose, Front chairman will chair the meeting, three Congress leaders, Pradip Bhattacharya, Abdul Mannan and Somen Mitra met Misra in the office of Ganashakti, the Bengali mouthpiece of the party. The basis of this meeting is a statement of Misra on Thursday where he said that one of the two parties would have to sacrifice seats. But he did not specify who would have to sacrifice for the alliance. If the Front partners have to do it then Misra is not the competent person to do the job.

Left Front has fielded 16 candidates in seats where Congress wanted to have their candidate. Of these seats, 9 are in Murshidabad. Left Front has fielded candidates in Suti, Jangipur, Raghunathgunj, Shamsergunj, Noada, Hariharpara and Domkol. From Domkol CPI(M) candidate, the former Animal Development minister Anisur Rahaman was elected in 2011. As Murshidabad is the base of Congress it is prestige fight for Adhir Chowdhury if Left Front does not withdraw their candidates from these seats. 

Friendly fights amounts to nothing and this means triangular fight. Party insiders said that some more time would be required to resolve the issue. The Front partners will have to be informed and their permission should be sought before taking any decision over seat sharing or withdrawal of candidates. Terming the meeting as “shameless” veteran Congress workers said it was an alliance of some self centred leaders who are trying to call it a people’s alliance. 

“Actually it is an alliance of some people with vested interests,” they said. A Congress veteran from Baghbazar asked “How could our leaders try to make alliance with a party that had killed over 20,000 of our followers in 34 years. The Congress leaders planning to form an alliance are corrupt. Both Congress and CPI(M) leaders know that if quadrangular fight was fought then the existence of both of them would be at stake,” he said adding “ this would only benefit TMC.