CPI(M), Congress alliance fail to take off in North Dinajpur

RAIGANJ: Two days before the Panchayat polls, Congress and CPI(M) failed to reach a consensus on seat adjustments in most of the seats of Gram Panchayat, Panchayat Samity and Zilla Parishad in the North Dinajpur district.

In some Blocks CPI(M) and Congress are contesting from the same seat while unable to field candidates for certain Gram Panchayat and Panchayat Samity seats.

TMC has already won a considerable number of Zilla Parishad (ZP), Panchayat Samity (PS) and Gram Panchayat (GP) seats without contest.

CPI(M) leaders claimed in some places they could not send candidates because the ruling party prevented them from submitting nominations.

Congress and CPI(M) leaders admitted that they did not reach an alliance arrangement in many seats of ZP, PS and GP.

Uttam Paul, one of the members of the North Dinajpur CPI(M) committee said: “In a total of 26 ZP seats, we have an alliance with Congress in five seats of Hemtabad and Karandighi Blocks out of a total of 9 Blocks of the district. In Karandighi CPI(M) candidates are contesting in two seats whereas Congress is contesting in one seat out of three. In

Hemtabad, there are two ZP seats. CPI(M) will contest in one and Congress in the other. In the rest of the ZP seats our CPI(M), Congress and some Independent candidates will contest. In the same way, our seat adjustment with Congress was not finalised in many PS and GP seats too. Our CPI(M) candidates will contest in 154 seats, Congress in 178 seats and Forward Bloc will contest in five seats out of a total of 293 seats in

Panchayat Samity. In respect of GP our CPI(M) candidates filed nominations in 803 seats, Congress in

986 and Forward Bloc in

14 seats out of a total of 2220 seats in the district.”