Kolkata: The political honeymoon between the CPI(M) and the Congress in West Bengal is over with the parties, who were alliance partners in this year’s Assembly poll, fielding their own candidates in the coming bypolls without so much as a dialogue between the two.
The state will witness bypolls in two Lok Sabha constituencies and one Assembly constituency on November 19.
After the disastrous performance of the Congress-CPI(M) alliance in the last Assembly poll, the CPI(M) was under fire from both its central leadership and Left Front partners.
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CPI(M) politburo member and Left Front Chairman Biman Bose while announcing the list of candidates said they had not discussed anything with the Congress and told the party workers that it will fight the elections on its own.
The state Congress leadership, which was keen on continuing the alliance in the state, decided to hit back at the Marxist party and fielded its own candidates for the bypolls.
The CPI(M) state leadership cited their helplessness in carrying forward the alliance in the state as the party’s central unit was against it.
“We wanted to continue this alliance, but our central committee was against it as forging an alliance or seat adjustment, which was done in last Assembly polls, is seen as a violation of party line adopted in the party congress,” a senior CPI(M) central committee leader from Bengal said.
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However, he said, the party would conduct joint protest and agitations with the Congress, if they agree, but confirmed there would be no alliance.
The Congress, infuriated by the CPI(M)’s decision to go it alone has decided not only to field candidates but also to rethink whether to continue joint agitation programmes.
“They didn’t even bother to inform us. Why should we go and beg before them for an alliance. We know it very well that if the CPI(M) and the Congress fight separately it will help TMC. Now it is for the CPI(M) to take the call as nothing can succeed unilaterally,” state Congress president Adhir Chowdhury said.