The CPI(M) State Committee meeting on Monday endorsed a list of party candidates and the proposal to ally with ‘democratic and secular’ parties, including the Congress, in Assembly elections due on February 16. Party general secretary Sitaram Yechury, Politburo member former Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and State secretary Jitendra Chaudhury were present at the meeting.
CPI(M) has reportedly finalised the number of seats it will contest with the Congress and smaller left parties. The party is expected to give one seat each to CPI, RSP, Forward Block and CPI(M-L).
Congress State president Birajit Sinha confirmed that they have reached a seat-sharing arrangement with the CPI(M) and the candidate list will be finalised ‘very soon’. “Congress will announce the list on Wednesday (January 25) after getting the approval of the party high command,” he said.
CPI(M) leaders hinted at declaring the list of nominees on Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning. The Left front has the tradition of announcing the list locally, while Congress does it from the AICC headquarters.
Mr. Sinha has not revealed the seats allotted to Congress in the seat-sharing deal. Sources said the number of Congress nominees might not cross 20 in the 60-member Assembly.
Leaders of CPI(M) and Congress have stopped making appeals to the TIPRA chairman Pradyot Kishore Debbarman after the latter refused to join the ‘grand alliance’ without a written assurance on his contentious ‘Greater Tipraland’ demand. However, he recently insisted on getting assurances from the Ministry of Home Affairs and reportedly held meetings with ‘very prominent’ leaders of the BJP at the national capital.
In another shift on his stance, the TIPRA chairman in a video message on Monday blamed a section of his party leaders for pressuring him to join hands with a national party. “They are telling me to make an alliance as we will be getting ‘some’, but I am not greedy for anything except serving my own people and protecting their legitimate rights,” he asserted.
The royal scion earlier announced they will contest in 40 to 45 constituencies, including 20 tribal reserved seats.
