Agartala, Nov 4 : The Left Front and the Congress are yet to finalise a seat-sharing arrangement for the upcoming Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC) elections, with both sides continuing negotiations to prevent a split in anti-BJP votes and put up a united opposition challenge.
Leader of the Opposition and CPI(M) state secretary Jitendra Chaudhury said on Wednesday that discussions between the two parties were progressing through several rounds of consultations but had not reached a conclusion.
Leaders of both parties have been holding talks over the past few days to resolve differences over seat allocation and candidate selection, he said.
Chaudhury said negotiations between two independent political organisations with separate structures, priorities and political considerations were not always straightforward. Local electoral equations and the aspirations of party workers at the ward level had also made the process more complicated, he said.
Despite the delay, both parties remained committed to reaching a common understanding, he said, adding that the larger objective was to prevent the division of anti-BJP votes.
Responding to questions about the Left Front filing nominations in seats initially kept aside for the Congress, Chaudhury said the move should not be interpreted as a breakdown of the negotiations.
The Left Front had initially kept 26 seats open, expecting the Congress to field candidates there as part of a possible electoral understanding, he said.
However, with the nomination deadline approaching, the Left leadership decided it could not afford to leave the constituencies uncontested, he said.
The decision to file nominations was a precautionary measure to prevent the BJP from gaining an advantage in the absence of opposition candidates, Chaudhury said.
He clarified that nomination filing and seat-sharing negotiations were proceeding simultaneously. If an agreement was reached before the completion of the nomination process, the Left Front would be willing to withdraw candidates wherever necessary to facilitate a joint opposition strategy, he said.
Taking a swipe at the ruling BJP, Chaudhury said disagreements over candidate selection were not limited to opposition parties. The BJP had also witnessed protests and dissatisfaction in some areas following the announcement of its candidate list, he said.
The CPI(M) leader reiterated that opposition unity remained the Left Front’s priority and said it was prepared to make necessary adjustments to reach a broader consensus.
With the nomination deadline approaching, the outcome of the negotiations is likely to shape the opposition’s electoral strategy in the civic polls.
