Ranchi, Mar 17 (PTI) CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya on Tuesday said the party will contest in 10 seats in the West Bengal assembly elections as part of the Left Front.
He also alleged that the Election Commission failed to ensure that over 60 lakh ‘under adjudication’ voters in West Bengal will be able to vote in the polls.
The ‘under adjudication’ electors are those whose voting eligibility is currently under judicial scanner.
Bhattacharya told reporters that the Left parties would try to provide a strong alternative in the TMC-ruled state and stop the BJP, which wants to come to power there “by hook or by crook.” The CPI(M)-led front in West Bengal, which ruled the state uninterruptedly for 34 years until 2011, failed to win a single seat in the 2021 assembly polls.
On the Left’s prospects in West Bengal this time, he claimed that there is a new development, which is positive for the political bloc in Bengal.
“For the first time, there is now a seat-sharing arrangement between the CPI(ML) and the Left Front (in West Bengal). We will be contesting 10 seats as part of the Left bloc. The ISF will also be part of this seat-sharing agreement,” Bhattacharya said.
The Left Front on Monday announced its first list of 192 candidates for the West Bengal assembly elections.
Left Front chairman Biman Bose also said CPI(ML) Liberation and the Indian Secular Front (ISF) will field candidates as associates.
The elections to the 294-member West Bengal assembly will be held in two phases – on April 23 and 29. Votes will be counted on May 4.
Bhattacharya alleged that SIR has already disenfranchised lakhs of voters in poll-bound states such as Tamil Nadu, Kerala and West Bengal.
“In West Bengal, it’s not just about deletions. Over 60 lakh voters have been placed under adjudication. There is absolutely no assurance from the Election Commission that the cases of the voters under adjudication will be decided before the elections take place,” he said.
The CPI(ML)L leader said, “The key demand emerging from Bengal is – first guarantee the voting rights of the voters placed under adjudication, and only then proceed with the voting process. The Election Commission must ensure that no eligible voter is left out.” In Tamil Nadu, the party is with the DMK, but it will contest the polls independently in 15 seats, he said.
“In Kerala, we are not in alliance with any party. We will contest Thiruvananthapuram, Trishur and Kannur assembly seats and work for Left candidates in the rest of the seats,” Bhattacharya added. PTI SAN SAN NN
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