Agartala, Nov 10 :Leader of the Opposition and senior CPI(M) leader Jitendra Choudhury on Tuesday said the Left Front would continue its campaign against the BJP with full force in the upcoming municipal elections, despite failing to reach a seat-sharing arrangement with the Congress.
Addressing a press conference, Choudhury said the Left Front had made sincere efforts to forge an electoral understanding with the Congress to prevent a division of anti-BJP votes, but differences within the party prevented a final agreement.
He said the issue was discussed at an INDIA bloc meeting held at the Assembly on October 24, which was attended by Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman. It was decided that detailed discussions would be held after a joint programme scheduled for October 30, he added.
Referring to an opposition protest outside the Election Commission office on October 30, Choudhury said leaders of various parties had emphasised the need for a united fight against the BJP in the civic elections. Congress state president Ashish Saha and other opposition leaders had participated in the programme.
He said subsequent discussions were held between Congress and CPI(M) leaders to explore the possibility of an electoral understanding.
According to Choudhury, the Congress had sought 22 seats during the negotiations. The Left Front was also willing to refrain from fielding candidates in several other constituencies where a broader understanding appeared possible, he claimed.
He said he was surprised by certain statements that appeared in the media after November 2, adding that the concerns raised were not directly communicated to him during his subsequent conversations with Roy Barman.
Reacting to Roy Barman’s remark about an alleged “invisible force” influencing CPI(M) decisions, Choudhury said he was unaware of the reasons behind the observation and maintained that discussions should focus on the electoral situation.
He said there was considerable public expectation for opposition unity, particularly to prevent a division of anti-BJP votes in the Agartala Municipal Corporation and other urban local bodies.
The CPI(M), CPI, RSP, Forward Bloc and CPI(ML) are contesting the elections together under the Left Front banner, he said.
Choudhury alleged that differences within the Congress had ultimately scuttled the proposed arrangement. However, he asserted that the failure of the negotiations would not affect the Left Front’s campaign and said its candidates and allies would work to defeat the BJP in the November 27 civic polls.
