Bengal polls: Left Front, ISF seat-sharing deadlock continues
Kolkata: In a desperate bid to make some mark in the upcoming Assembly polls in the state and to remain politically relevant, the Left Front is set to forge a pre-poll alliance with the Indian Secular Front (ISF). However, there has been a tug-of-war between the two over the seat-sharing negotiations.
A meeting was held between the Left Front Chairman Biman Bose, CPI(M) state secretary Md Salim and ISF MLA from Bhangar Nawshad Siddiqui on Tuesday.
They will again hold a meeting on Wednesday, as they failed to reach a consensus as far as the seat-sharing negotiations are concerned. It is expected that seat-sharing equations will be finalised at Wednesday’s meeting.
Sources within the Left Front said that ISF was demanding at least 45 seats, while the CPI(M) was not ready to give more than 30 seats. Forward Bloc, according to sources, has demanded 30 seats in the Left Front’s internal meeting. But the CPI(M) was reluctant to vacate more than 12-15 Assembly seats for the Forward Bloc.
The potential alliance between the Left Front and the ISF for the upcoming Assembly polls was facing serious friction for some time, as Forward Bloc, a key constituent of the Left Front, has been opposing seat-sharing negotiations and is unwilling to give up any of its traditional strongholds. According to sources, Left Front chairman Biman Bose is always in favour of an alliance with ISF.
ISF MLA from Bhangar, Siddiqui, after the meeting told the media that the meeting was held on Tuesday for over two hours, but no final decision was taken regarding the seat-sharing. Another meeting will be held on Wednesday to resolve the impasse.
Incidentally, the Left had entered into an alliance with the ISF during the 2021 Assembly elections, though the Forward Bloc contested a few seats against ISF nominees. The alliance, however, did not yield any gains for the Left.
The resignation of CPI(M)’s state committee member Pratik Ur Rahaman and his eventual joining the ruling party came as a jolt to the CPI(M). Salim had received criticism from various quarters for holding a meeting with suspended TMC MLA Humyaun Kabir.
