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Left Front-AISF Seat-Sharing Stalls Over Demands for Bengal Polls

Seat-sharing negotiations between West Bengal's Left Front and the All India Secular Front have stalled, failing to produce an agreement. The main point of contention is AISF's demand for 45 seats against the Left Front's offer of 30. Internal pressure within the Left Front, particularly from the Forward Bloc which is also seeking a larger share, further complicates the talks. Both sides have scheduled another meeting for Wednesday in hopes of reaching an amicable arrangement.

Key Points: Bengal Polls: Left Front, AISF Fail to Reach Seat-Sharing Pact

  • Talks stalled over AISF's 45-seat demand
  • Left Front offered only 30 seats
  • Forward Bloc also demanding larger share
  • Congress exit changed negotiation dynamics
  • Another meeting scheduled for Wednesday
2 min read

Bengal Assembly polls: Left Front-AISF fail to reach seat-sharing pact

Seat-sharing talks between West Bengal's Left Front and AISF stall over seat number demands, with Forward Bloc also complicating negotiations.

"We are hopeful that, finally, an amicable seat-sharing arrangement will be reached - Nawsad Siddique"

Kolkata, Feb 24

The seat-sharing arrangement between the Left Front in West Bengal and the All India Secular Front for the upcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal scheduled to be held later this year could not be reached even after a significant bipartite pact between AISF and the CPI-M here on Tuesday.

At the meeting which was attended by the lone AISF MLA in West Bengal Assembly, Nawsad Siddique, the Left Front Chairman in West Bengal Biman Bose, and the CPI-M Politburo member and the party's West Bengal unit Secretary, Mohammed Salim, the seat-sharing pact was caught between AISF's demand for 45 seats and the Left Front's proposal to limit that to 30.

"There will be another round of meetings on this count again on Wednesday in this matter. We are hopeful that, finally, an amicable seat-sharing arrangement will be reached," Siddique said at the end of the meeting.

Meanwhile, a Central Committee CPI-M member said that the main hurdle within the Left Front for an amicable seat-sharing arrangement with AISF is the All India Forward Bloc, which is demanding a larger share in the number of Assembly seats, considering that Congress had already backed out from any seat-sharing arrangement with the Left Front.

"If the demands of both AISF and Forward Bloc were met, in that case CPI-M would contest the upcoming state polls with a much lesser number of seats this time, after meeting the demands of two other Left Front allies, namely CPI and Revolutionary Socialist Party. But there is a limit up to which CPI-M can sacrifice its own share in the seat-sharing arrangement," the party's Central Committee member said.

On the other hand, AISF contends that since the Congress had already decided to walk out of any seat-sharing agreement with the Left Front for the upcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal this year, there would not be much of a problem for the Left Front to meet AISF's demand for at least 40 seats.

"Had Congress been a party of the seat-sharing arrangement this time, their demand in the share of seats would have been much more," an AISF leader said.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
The Left Front needs to be practical. With Congress out, they need strong allies like AISF to have any chance. Giving 40-45 seats to a party with just one MLA seems high, but politics is about winnability, not just past numbers. Hope they sort it out soon! 🤞
S
Suresh O
Forward Bloc creating problems as usual. Everyone wants a bigger piece of the pie, but the pie itself is shrinking for the Left. CPI(M) should take a firm stand. Too much compromise will weaken them further. Bengal needs a strong alternative.
A
Anjali F
As a voter from Kolkata, I'm tired of this pre-poll drama every time. They spend so much energy on seat-sharing, but what about their vision for Bengal's youth and economy? We need concrete plans, not just political arithmetic. 🙄
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Nikhil C
AISF's demand is quite ambitious. From 1 seat to asking for 45? I understand negotiation starts high, but they need to be realistic. The Left Front, especially CPI(M), is still the major force. Hope Wednesday's meeting brings some sense.
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Michael C
Watching from outside, this seems like a classic case of a fragmented opposition. The ruling party must be quite pleased. For democracy to thrive, you need a credible alternative. This internal squabbling isn't helping anyone except those in power.

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