LF announces candidates for two disputed seats, Congress terms it ‘unfortunate’

Kolkata, March 9 (IANS) The seat adjustment talks between the Left Front and the Congress in West Bengal hit a fresh hurdle on Friday with the LF announcing the names of its two MPs as candidates for Raiganj and Murshidabad -- seats over which the Congress had also staked claim.

Describing the development as "unfortunate", the state Congress said the LF has announced the candidates "unilaterally" when discussion over seat adjustment was on.

"We are sending a report to our national leadership about the development. Because AICC is monitoring the matter right now," the state Congress said in a press release.

The Congress' string reaction cane after the LF decided to renominate Mohammed Salim and Badruddoza Khan -- both CPI-M MPs -- from Raiganj and Murshidabad respectively.

Briefing newspersons after a meeting of LF constituents on Friday, its chairman Biman Bose said the coalition has decided not to put up any candidate in the four sests won by the Congress in 2014 -- Malda North, Malda, Jangipur and Baharampur.

"We are giving a message to the Congress. We will now wait for their message. Depending on that we will decide the next course of action in a subsequent meeting of the Left Front next week," Bose said.

Asked whether the LF will put up candidates in these four seats also if the Congress does not agree to part with Raiganj and Murshidabad, Bose said "of course, we will do whatever is yet to be done in such a scenario".

Replying to a poser as to whether the LF will put up candidates in all the remaining 38 seats, he said: "So for we have decided to put up candidates in two seats only and wait for subsequent developments".

Bose, however, said LF partners All India Forward Bloc (AIFB), Revolutionary Socialist Party and Communist Party of India will contest in three seats each if the seat adjustment talks with the Congress bears fruit. "Otherwise the RSP will give candidate for the Baharampur seat also".