CIVIC POLL

Civic poll : CPM-FB seat sharing meet inconclusive

 

COOCH BEHAR, May 29: Leaders of the CPI-M and the Forward Bloc sat across the table at the district CPI-M office today to discuss the seat sharing issue for the ensuing municipal elections in Mekhliganj and Haldibari in Cooch Behar district.

 

After the meeting the district CPI-M secretary and also the district Left Front convenor Mr Chandi Pal declared that the two LF partners would fight the civic polls jointly.

 

Replying a question Mr Pal said that discussions were held over sharing of seats but it would be finalised in the next bipartite meeting that is to be held on 3 June. As the district Forward Bloc secretary Mr Udayan Guha was absent in today's meeting the matter will be finalised in the next meeting, he clarified. He however hoped that achieving of Left Front unity would not be a problem in the municipal elections.

 

The CPI-M secretary made it clear that though the two LF partners failed to reach to an understanding in the just concluded three-tier panchayat elections in this district it may not exert any influence on the proposed unity in the civic polls.

 

It was learnt that the Forward Bloc might field candidates separately in Mekhliganj. They are not eager to make any alliance with the CPI-M. After the previous election it was decided that the two LF partners would share the chairmanship of the board for two-and-half-year each for the term but as the CPI-M failed to keep its promise the FB is not interested in entering into any understanding with the 'big brother' this time, FB sources said. The CPI-M chairman of the outgoing civic board reportedly denied leaving the chair in favour of the Forward Bloc.

 

When asked that the CPI-M failed to keep its promise to share the chair of the chairman in the outgoing Mekhliganj Municipality board, Mr Pal hoped that it would not pose as a big problem to achieve unity this time.

 

The leaders of the Forward Bloc including state food and supply minister Mr Paresh Chandra Adhikary left the CPI-M office in haste soon after the end of the meeting. Till evening they were not available to make any comment over the outcome of the meeting. []