LF on backfoot as Cong demands 102 seats

The unofficial alliance between the Congress and CPI(M) received a jolt with the Congress demanding 102 seats.

During the initial talks, the CPI(M) had agreed to give the Congress 70 seats, whereas the Left Front candidates would contest in 224 seats. The new demand has put the CPI(M) leaders in a tight spot.

In 2011 Assembly elections when the Congress and the Trinamool Congress had alliance, Congress candidates fought from 65 seats. 

The problem will crop up in Murshidabad where the Congress has a stronghold. In north and south Dinajpur, Alipurduar and Cooch Bihar, seat sharing will pose a serious problem. 

A veteran CPI(M) leader, who is a central committee member of the party, categorically said that the committee did not approve such alliance. 

“You cannot say that the Congress in West Bengal is good and in Kerala the party is bad. Someday, some leaders of the party will say that the BJP in Gujarat is good and in Maharastra it is bad,” he said, adding the “Central Committee is very clear in its approach and the party will maintain equidistance from the Congress and BJP.” Without naming his party colleagues in Bengal, he said, “It seems that those who have spoken in favour of the alliance have lost contact with people.”

Meanwhile, just to show people that it will be “people’s alliance”, the CPI(M) and the Congress leaders took out a procession in South 24-Parganas where Kanti Ganguly and Sujan Chakraborty participated. “It was the biggest joke of the century when we saw Ganguly and Chakraborty taking part in a rally with Congress leaders. These two leaders had tortured our supporters and how can we forget those days,” said a Congress worker.

In North 24-Parganas the pro-alliance leaders have started putting up wall graffiti with hand and star and hammer together. 

Such graffiti will put both the parties in more trouble. If you put up a graffiti where  hand is holding the hammer and star, then the repercussion of people will not be good as they have seen them fighting against each other for generation.

Meanwhile, Save Congress is gaining ground with their leaders holding street corners criticising the alliance. 

Raja Saha, secretary of the forum said it would put up posters condemning the alliance and how the CPI(M) had tortured Congress workers from Saibari incident in Burdwan in the late 1960s to the incident in Howrah in the end 1980s where hands of Congress supporters were chopped off for not voting CPI(M).”

It may be recalled that Manas Bhuniya and DP Roy have already spoke against the alliance and Roy had said that he would not contest in the election in the alliance was made.