Friendly fight in seven seats: Adhir Chowdhury

WBPCC chief Adhir Chowdhury said that there would be friendly fight in seven seats in the state Assembly polls.

The statement has baffled both Congress and CPI(M) leaders as it has came at a time when both the party heavyweights are trying hard to resolve the impasse of seat sharing. 

Congress leaders including Somen Mitra, Pradip Bhattacharya and Abdul Mannan had met Suryakanta Misra at Ganashakti office on Friday to find a solution to the seat sharing problem. A second meeting was held at Mitra’s residence on Saturday night. 

Leaders of both the parties maintained that the problem will be ironed out.

Chowdhury said that there will be friendly fight in Tapan, Harishchandrapur, Domkol, Hariharpara, Malatipur, Bharatpur and Beliaghata. However, the party will not field any candidate from Joypur in Purulia.

Political experts said that the seat sharing problem could not be resolved because both Chowdhury and Kshiti Goswami, RSP state secretary, had taken this as a prestige fight. Goswami had announced that under no circumstance RSP would sacrifice the Malatipur seat. 

Now, as the seat sharing issue was not discussed in the Left Front, its big brother CPI(M) cannot put any pressure on the partner. CPI(M) leaders are keeping mum on the matter.

On the contrary, Chowdhury considers his defeat if Left Front field candidates in Domkol and Hariharpara. CPI(M) candidate Anisur Rahaman, former state Animal Resources Development minister was elected from Domkol in 2011. Chowdhury said that the decision of the Left Front to publish the list when talks were on was an uncalled move.

The Front leaders consider this to be “muscle flexing by Chowdhury,” and have refused to surrender. CPI(M) leaders know that if there is friendly fight even on one seat, Trinamool Congress will highlight this and it will be difficult for CPI(M) to convince the voters on the issue.

Meanwhile, rubbishing the claim that the rank and file of both Congress and CPI(M) are in favour of the alliance, four Congress councilors of Champdani municipality joined Trinamool Congress. It may be recalled that a CPI(M) leader has tendered resignation from the party in protest against the alliance.