Cong decides not to field candidates in 5 seats

Kolkata: The Congress has decided not to field candidates in five seats — Bishunupur, Diamond Harbour, Asansol, Bolpur and Tamluk— as a "goodwill gesture."

The Left Front did not field candidates in four seats from where Congress nominees had been elected in 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

Holding the Left Front responsible for the failure to ink an electoral alliance, veteran Congress leader Pradip Bhattacharya said: "We wanted a complete alliance. Discussions were on with the Left Front.

"We want to defeat the Trinamool Congress and the BJP and for this total alliance was necessary.

"Why did the Left field candidate in the seats where Congress candidates had got more votes. We believe in political courtesy."

Left Front chairman Biman Bose had said on Tuesday that the party would field candidates in four seats from where Congress candidates had won in 2014 polls if the party did not respond.

Political experts said in view of the alliance there would be triangular fight in the nine seats, four seats from where Congress candidates had won in 2014 polls and five seats where Congress did not field any candidate.

However, in Raigunj and Murshidabad the Congress will fight against CPI(M) candidates Mohammad Selim and Bodrudojja Khan.

Selim had won by 1,634 votes only. He got 3.17 lakh votes while Deepa Das Munshi got 3.15 lakh votes in 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

The first ever electoral alliance between the Congress and the CPI(M) which was formed in 2016 before the Assembly election did not go well.

The Left Front had managed to get only 32 seats of which CPI(M) got 26 seats while RSP, Forward Bloc and CPI got three, two and one seat, respectively.

Political experts said the alliance between the Congress and the CPI(M) was not likely to work in 2014 as for hardcore Congress supporters voting

for CPI(M) was "impossible" and the same logic applies

to hardcore CPI(M) supporters also.

It is a political compulsion of both the parties to stay together as the organisation of both the Congress and the CPI(M) has become very weak over the years.

Even CPI(M) leaders admitted that it would not be possible for the party to man all the polling stations.

There are 77,000 odd polling stations in Bengal.

The political experts felt that alliance or no alliance Trinamool Congress would be benefitted in the ensuing election.