Hindustan Times (Ranchi)

Left Front rejects seat sharing formula of Grand Alliance, will open its card on November 12

- Subhash Mishra htjharkhan­d@hindustant­imes.com ■

IT WAS RESPONSIBI­LITY OF ‘MAJOR PARTIES’ TO PUT UP VIABLE OPPN, BUT THEY UNILATERAL­LY DISTRIBUTE­D SEATS AMONG THEMSELVES WITHOUT CONSULTING OTHER PARTIES, SAID CPI(M) LEADER

DHANBAD : Jharkhand assembly election 2019 is likely to witness contest between three alliances - NDA, Grand Alliance and Left Front - as Left parties on Friday rejected the seat sharing formula of major opposition parties (read Grand Alliance).

CPI(M) state secretary Gopi Kant Bakshi here on Friday said the four Left parties were left with no option but to go alone in the upcoming assembly elections. The chances of opposition unity has ended now as the major parties (read JMM and Congress) have shared the seats among themselves without consulting opposition parties, said GK Bakshi.

“We have called meeting of Left parties - CPI(M), CPI ,CPI(ML) and Marxists Coordinati­on Committee (MCC) - on Tuesday ( November 12) to finalise the seats,” said Bakshi.

The CPI(M) state secretary said that it was political responsibi­lity of ‘major parties’ to put up joint viable alternativ­e of opposition against the ruling BJP in the assembly election, but they unilateral­ly distribute­d seats among themselves without consulting other parties.

Bakshi claimed that his party’s contributi­on in movement against BJP cannot be ignored. It had participat­ed in the agitation along with all opposition parties jointly against land reforms and CNT amendment. It was our responsibi­lity to give joint viable alternativ­e, he said.

Bakshi said in 2014 assembly election CPI(M) had fought on 13 seats but for the sake of opposition unity it had identified only 10 seats to contest.

He admitted that there was dissension too among Left parties on some seats but he expressed hope that all issues would be resolved on Tuesday’s meeting at Ranchi.

In 2014 assembly election only two candidates of Left parties Arup Chatterjee (MCC) from Nirsa constituen­cy in Dhanbad and Rajkumar Yadav (CPIML) from Rajdhanwar constituen­cy in Giridih had won.

“Left Front has three motives. First defeat BJP, second increase number in assembly for raising voice of the people and third make viable political alternativ­e in state,” he said.

The number of the alliance partners in the Grand Alliance has now reduced to three - JMM, Congress and RJD. Babulal Marandi-led JVM (P) had pulled out of the proposed opposition alliance earlier this week.

 ?? DIWAKAR PRASAD/ HT PHOTO ?? ■
Students take part in a signature campaign and vow to vote in the upcoming assembly election, in St Xavier's College in Ranchi on Friday.
DIWAKAR PRASAD/ HT PHOTO ■ Students take part in a signature campaign and vow to vote in the upcoming assembly election, in St Xavier's College in Ranchi on Friday.
 ?? HT FILE ?? ■
Gopi Kant Bakhsi
HT FILE ■ Gopi Kant Bakhsi

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