RSP sticks to 19 seats, but can negotiate

Left Front partner RSP stood by its decision to contest 19 seats, including nine in which the Congress has also fielded candidates, but said it was willing to negotiate further if the Congress withdrew candidates from two seats which they had won in 2011.

“It was decided in the Left Front meeting that all Left Front partners would field its candidates in the seats which they had won in 2011. Now the Congress has also fielded its candidates in those seats. We have already sacrificed four seats for the sake of having seat adjustments with them and now we are contesting in 19 seats instead of 23. With the Congress fielding its candidates, now there will be a friendly contest in nine out of 19 seats. They are saying it will be a friendly contest but can an electoral contest remain friendly ” asked RSP state secretary Kshiti Goswami.

Referring to the nine seats in the districts of Murshidabad, Malda and South Dinajpur, Mr Goswami said the Congress has put a question mark on the existence of our party by fielding their candidates in those seats.

Significantly, the RSP had won Bharatpur Assembly constituency in Murshidabad and Malatipur Assembly constituency in Malda in 2011. According to him, if the Congress withdraws its candidates from the above mentioned seats then the RSP will consider sacrificing some other seats. “It is being projected as if the RSP is throwing the spanner on the seat arrangement. But this is not the case. We are not rigid. If that was the case then we would not have talked about the seat adjustment with the Congress within the Front. There has to be flexibility. If proposals over these seats come, we will discuss within the Front,” he said. The RSP had won seven of the 23 seats it had contested in 2011.