Key CPM leaders back tieup with Congress

A CPI(M) state secretariat meeting was held on Wednesday in which majority of the members strongly advocated an alliance with the Congress for the coming Assembly election. The meeting assumed significance because it was convened only two days after state Congress leaders met party vice-president Rahul Gandhi in Delhi to discuss the possible alliance with the Left Front. The Rahul Gandhi meeting has led to a flurry of activities at Alimuddin Street (CPI(M) headquarters in Bengal) in pursuit of an electoral adjustment with the Congress. Only a day ago, the CPI(M) satraps decided to hold an emergency state committee meeting on February 12 and 13 which would be followed by a central committee meeting in Delhi on February 17 and 18.

Wednesday’s state secretariat meeting was also held to seek the opinion of members over a tactical electoral tie-up with Congress. Among the 18 members present, 14 spoke in favour of an electoral alliance with the Congress ahead of the Assembly election while four members spoke against it. With the majority of the state secretariat members speaking in favour of an alliance, it was clear that the party believed that the Bihar model would work in Bengal also.