CPI(M) rules out formal poll truck with Cong

The Central Committee of the CPI(M) on Thursday shot down the proposal to have a formal electoral alliance with Congress, instead suggesting that they would “tie-up with secular and democratic forces” to oust the Trinamool Congress government.

The CPI(M) state committee will draw up the election strategy which will be cleared by the Politburo. State leaders are enthusiastic as they believe that the Congress high command will allow the electoral tie-up. West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC) leaders said that party chairperson Sonia Gandhi would take a decision on the matter within the next couple of days. 

The CPI(M) state committee leaders will meet their allies and Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI) leaders next Wednesday to discuss the matter. 

They were hopeful that the Congress would go for a tie-up. The CPI(M) has asked all the district committees to give names of probable candidates.

However, as there is no official alliance with Congress, the two parties will publish their election manifesto separately. Experts said that as no official alliance had been made it would be difficult to prepare the list of candidates jointly. 

Congress might ask  for anything between 100-120 seats and that would put the Left Front in a tight spot, and in such a scenario Front partners would have to sacrifice their candidates. Currently, the Left Front has 60 MLAs while Congress has 39. 

Political analysts said that both Left Front and Congress leaders were aware that Trinamool is strong in south Bengal districts and that both parties would suffer a major setback if an alliance was not arrived at. 

“We will have to wait for some more days to see whether the Congress High Command allows the alliance as it is not an official tie-up,” they said.

Commenting on the likely tie-up with ‘secular and democratic forces’, Trinamool Congress vice-president Mukul Roy said, “A grand alliance of people under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee has taken place in the state. 

Whether or not the Left  cobbles up an alliance with Congress, Trinamool will do better in the 2016 Assembly election.” He added that in north Bengal Trinamool’s strength had gone up and the alliance would have no impact there.

Banerjee, while addressing her party workers at the Netaji Indoor Stadium, on February 12 had said that the alliance would not be able to make any dent in Trinamool.