Amid impasse over seat-sharing, Left releases list

KOLKATA: The lack of consensus among the allies came to the forefront with the announcement of the candidate list of the Left Front for the first two phases of the Assembly elections on Friday.

The Left announced names of candidates in 38 out of the 60 Assembly seats that will be going to polls in the first two phases leaving 11 seats

for its poll allies Congress and 6 for Indian Secular Front (ISF). However, the allies were unable to decide which of them will contest from five Assembly seats that includes Nandigram, Egra, Kashipur, Daspur and Pingla.

"We have not yet been able to reach a consensus about sharing of seats. Discussions are still going on. So we have not fielded candidates in some seats for the first two phases. We will be announcing

the list of candidates for the other six phases of the elections in one or two phases," Left Front Chairman Biman Bose said.

Nandigram is the most talked-about seat in the Assembly polls this year with Trinamool Congress supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee contesting from there.

Apart from leaders of the Left allies, Congress leaders Abdul Mannan, Pradip Bhattacharjee and ISF leader Simul Soren were present during the announcement of the candidate list.

Congress leader Pradip Bhattacharya said its central leadership will announce the names of the candidates for the 11 seats soon while ISF leader Simul Soren said they would announce their list in the next 2-3 days.

Among the known faces heavyweight CPI(M) leader Susanta Ghosh, convicted in the infamous 'Benachapra skeleton case' in 2011 will be contesting from Garbeta seat, a former minister in the Left regime Debalina Hembram will contest from Ranibandh seat while Madhuja Sen Roy will fight from the Jhargram seat.