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Bengal

Meeting between Congress-CPI(M) senior leaders stirs up rumours again

Though both Congress and CPI(M) leaders have realised that there will not be any official electoral understanding between the two parties, a meeting between two senior leaders in Delhi has pumped in a fresh gush of adrenaline in both of them.

Abu Hassan Khan Chowdhury of Congress and Mohammad Selim on Wednesday met in Delhi and talked about the possible alliance.

It is learnt that CPI(M) will not  field candidates in 70 seats  and will ask the voters to vote for secular and democratic candidates except Trinamool.  Similarly, Congress will not field candidates in 224 seats and will ask its voters to vote for non Trinamool and secular and democratic candidates.

Congress chairperson Sonia Gandhi has not said a word on the alliance and party insiders said that she did not want any official alliance with the Left because of the “ latter’s dubious character.” The criticism of the Left about her husband Rajiv Gandhi and the statement made by the then general secretary of CPI(M) Prakash Karat are still fresh in her mind and she is “ out and out against the alliance.”

Though senior party leaders in both the parties like Suryakanta Misra, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Mohammad Selim of CPI(M) and Adhir Chowdhury, Abdul Mannan, Pradip Bhattacharya and AH Khan Chowdhury of Congress  feel that Trinamool can be ousted  by making alliance, many of their colleagues, however, feel that “ such under table adjustment will affect both the parties.”

It may be noted that Congress leaders like Manas Bhuniya and Debaprasad Roy have already expressed their resentment and Bhuniya even meet Sonia Gandhi and urged her not to go for the alliance. Roy, on the other hand, has decided not to contest in the election if any alliance is made. CPI and RSP leaders Manju Kumar Mazumdar and Abani Roy have said that talks in the Left Front was possible if Congress made any formal proposal on the alliance.

A veteran CPI leader said that it was wrong to take the electorate for granted. They know very well that “this is an alliance to cater to the vested interest of some leaders.”He said if Congress voters cast their votes in places where there will be no Left Front candidates to Trinamool then the party will reap benefits out of it. In the South Bengal districts, both Left Front and Congress have weak organisation. In North Bengal both have better organisation but both the parties do not have young workers which are required to run the election.

Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress is gearing up for the show and party meetings in the block level have begun. Party chief Mamata Banerjee will visit the districts once the election dates are announced in the first week of March.  She has already said that whether alliance or not Trinamool would do even better this time.
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