Cong, CPI(M) inch closer to possible Bengal alliance

NEWDELHI/KOLKATA: The Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI (M), have cleared some of the obstacles in the way of a possible agreement on seat-sharing in West Bengal in the upcoming general election.

Both sides stopped short of a formal announcement, but senior Congress leaders said on condition of anonymity that the party’s central leadership had told them on Saturday not to contest the two parliamentary seats held by the CPI (M), paving the way for further talks on the remaining seats . West Bengal fills 42 seats in the Lok Sabha.

The CPI (M) had said earlier that the two parties shouldn’t fight each other in the six seats held by them in the 16th Lok Sabha.

The developments come as the Congress pursues seat-sharing negotiations with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in Bihar, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Maharashtra, the Janata Dal (Secular), or JD (S), in Karnataka and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in Tamil Nadu.

At least three leaders of the CPI (M) politburo said on condition of anonymity that the “hurdles are over” for seat adjustment with the Congress and talks between the state-level leaders of the two parties will start soon.

“As we can see, it would be a triangular fight between demo-

cratic forces versus the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) and the Trinamool,” said one of the threes.

State Congress president Somen Mitra said he was in Malda to prepare for a rally by Congress president Rahul Gandhi. Congress’s central leaders said “things are yet to be finalized” and “the party will talk to the Left in a day or two.” Of West Bengal’s 42 seats, Trinamool Congress in 2014 won 34. The Congress won four and the Left and

the BJP won two seats each.

The Left and the Congress had an informal understanding in the 2016 Assembly elections.

If a seat-sharing pact is reached for the Lok Sabha elections, it would mark the first time the erstwhile arch-rivals in Bengal reach such an arrangement..

“A seat-sharing formula between the Left and the Congress will make the elections tougher for BJP by splitting anti-Trinamool votes,” said political analyst Biswanath Chakraborty.