West Bengal Polls: After TMC, Left Front Releases First Candidate List

Kolkata: The Left Front on Friday announced its first candidate list for the upcoming West Bengal assembly election. The Left Front announced candidates for the first two phases of state assembly polls in the presence of its alliance partners Congress and Indian Secular Front (ISF).

While the Grand Alliance of the Left Front, Congress and Indian Secular Front (ISF) announced the seats they will contest in the first two phases of the assembly election in West Bengal, the list of candidates was released only by the Left Front.

The Left Front will contest in the largest number of 40 seats in the first two phases, followed by Congress which will fight in 12 seats and ISF in five.

“TMC is a single party and a single leader can’t do what different parties with different combinations can do. Left Front is a combination of different parties. The Congress, the ISF. All these three are to discuss and come to a conclusion. We will conclude everything before the last date of nomination submission,” Said CPIM leader Biman Bose who chose not to comment on Mamata contesting from Nandigram instead of her erstwhile constituency of Bhowanipore.

The Left Front has still not decided its Nandigram candidate.

“Sanyukta Morcha is a combination of Left Front partners, INC and ISF. What is possible by a single party may not be possible according to the political field. As far as 294 seats are concerned, they [TMC] did not declare all seats. We will declare other seats very soon,” added Bose.

“ISF is putting up Scheduled Caste candidates, Scheduled Tribe candidates, general candidates and religious minority candidates. That doesn’t mean there is a difference between other political outfits,” Bose said.

ISF has said that discussions are on for the seat-sharing agreement and candidates. ISF has been allotted Mahisadal, Chandrakona (SC), Raghunathpur (SC), Saltora (SC) and Raipur (SC).

“ISF chairman Naushad Siddiqui will hold discussions on seat sharing. There has been discussion on seats before and talks will also take place in future,” said Simul Soren, ISF chief, who was present when the Left Front announced their candidate list on Friday.

Soren said, “We will announce the candidates in the next two days from the ISF office.” Asked if ISF wants to contest from Nandigram, he said, “It is subject to discussion.”

Election will be held in 60 out of the total 294 seats in the first two phases of the eight-phased polls which are slated to stretch from March 27 to April 29. The date for the second phase of election is April 1.