Left hopes for vote gains from Cong supporters in seat-sharing formula

Kolkata: Amid talks over seat sharing between the two parties in this Lok Sabha election, the Left Front on Sunday said it is hoping that Congress votes will swing towards it in seats where the former has a strong hold in Bengal.

On Sunday, Left Front chairman Biman Bose and Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury addressed the press together. Chowdhury said that the Left and the Congress will fight together according to the seat-sharing agreement they have reached for this election. Bose said that both Left Front and Congress workers are campaigning together and it can be said with conviction that Congress’ votes will come to the Left in seats where it has given candidates.

He also added that vice-versa will happen in seats where Congress has fielded candidates.

It was seen in earlier elections that from a seat sharing between these two parties, it has always been the Congress which has gained votes from Left supporters but the Left barely received votes from Congress.

Supporting Bose’s statement, Adhir said: “If we can gain good electoral results, TMC will fall like a house of cards. To stay as chief minister, Mamata Banerjee will tie up with BJP. It is quite possible.” He also criticised Banerjee for backstabbing the INDIA alliance on false pretexts.

Alleging a collusion between TMC and BJP, he said that BJP was making quite a noise that it will wrest Diamond Harbour seat from Abhishek Banerjee but in the end fielded a candidate who has no chance of defeating Banerjee.