Cong, Left alliance finalised

Kolkata: The electoral alliance between Congress and Left Front for the forthcoming Assembly elections has been finalised, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, president PCC, said on Tuesday.

A meeting was held between senior Congress and CPI(M) leaders at Alimuddin Street, the state headquarters of CPI(M) on Tuesday afternoon.

Left Front chairman Biman Bose, state CPI(M) Secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra and Mohammad Salim were present at the meeting.

Chowdhury said the exact seat-sharing ratio could not be announced as leaders of the Indian Secular Front (ISF), NCP and RJD had expressed their willingness to support the "secular" front in the forthcoming Assembly elections.

Chowdhury claimed that Trinamool Congress (TMC) was scared of the alliance and hence attacking rallies launched by Congress and Left Front.

Rubbishing the tall claim of Chowdhury, Saugata Roy, Trinamool Congress MP said the fight would be between Trinamool and BJP and the alliance between Congress and Left Front didn't have any political significance.

The alliance between Congress and the Left Front took place for the first time in 2016 before the Assembly elections. Congress had bagged 44 seats while the CPI(M) got only 28 seats, the lowest since 1971. After the election result was out, CPI(M) Politburo had issued a communiqué stating that "the alliance was not in consonance with the decision of the Central Committee of the party."

However, the CPI(M) leaders from Bengal were able to convince the party leaders in Delhi that for the existence of the party, alliance with Congress was needed. After 2016, the deposit of CPI (M) candidates had been forfeited in three by-elections which were held in 2019. In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, except Bikas Bhattacharya, the deposits of all the Left Front candidates were forfeited.