Left Front chairman Biman Bose and CPI(M) state secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra at a party meeting in Kolkata on Monday. (Photo: PTI)
Left Front chairman Biman Bose and CPI(M) state secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra at a party meeting in Kolkata on Monday. (Photo: PTI)
Left Front chairman Biman Bose on Monday said they have reached an “understanding” with the Congress to fight jointly against the ruling Trinamul Congress in the West Bengal Assembly elections beginning next month and released the first list of candidates.
Announcing the names of 116 candidates out of a total 294 seats, Mr Bose said: “We have welcomed an understanding with the Congress to remove Trinamul from the state. Front, alliance and understanding are not the same thing.”
He said the Left Front will not campaign together with the Congress. “Platform will, however, not be shared with the Congress for campaigning,” he said.
Asked whether they would go for an alliance or seat adjustment with the Congress, Mr Bose refused to give a direct reply, saying things will be evident later.
“If there is any violence in the campaign stage, there will be flagless movement by all like-minded parties fighting against the Trinamul Congress,” he said. On the front’s chief ministerial candidate, Mr Bose said at present they have no chief ministerial candidate.
Among the prominent names in the candidate list released on Monday are CPI(M) state secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra who will contest from his Narayangarh seat in West Midnapore district.
CPI(M) state secretary usually does not contest elections, but an exception has been made for Mr Mishra.
CPI(M) state secretariat member Rabin Deb will be fielded from Singur, while Siliguri Mayor Asok Bhattacharya will contest from Siliguri from where he lost in the 2011 Assembly polls.
Former minister Kanti Ganguly, who had lost from Raidighi in 2011, will fight from the same seat while athlete Jyotirmoyee Sikdar has been fielded from Sonarpur Uttar seat.
There are 68 new faces in the Left Front’s first list with 16 women candidates.
