NCP, RJD express desire to be part of Cong-Left alliance for WB polls: Adhir

Kolkata: Indian Secular Force (ISF), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) will be part of Congress-Left alliance for the upcoming West Bengal Assembly polls, said senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Tuesday.

Addressing a press conference here, Chowdhury said, "There have been several political developments in between. Secular parties like ISF, RJD and NCP expressed the desire to participate in the Congress-Left alliance. We had a very cordial meeting. We respect these secular parties. So we are sparing some seats for these parties. It is the reason we are not announcing the final number of seats today."

Slamming the Trinamool Congress (TMC), Chowdhury alleged that the party did not want Congress and Left form an alliance. He also pointed out that the West Bengal Assembly polls are going to be a three-way fight.

"The autocratic force (TMC) never wanted that Congres and Left form an alliance. Earlier, there was a narrative that Bengal polls will be a two-way fight between Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and TMC. Now, there is a three-way fight in Bengal between BJP, TMC and Congress-Left alliance," said Chowdhury.

He also condemned the death of Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) activist Moidul Islam Midya and criticised West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for not expressing condolence to his death.

The DYFI activist, who was injured in a clash with the police during the Left parties' march to West Bengal secretariat Nabanna on February 11 succumbed to his injuries on Monday morning at a private hospital in Kolkata.

Meanwhile, Left Front Chairman Biman Bose, who was also present at the press conference said, "Now, ISF has also been included in the alliance. We will hold a mega public rally at Brigade parade ground on February 28."

Earlier, the Congress party and the Left Front alliance held two rounds of meetings regarding the seat-sharing agreements for 193 of the total 294 seats in Assembly elections scheduled this year.

In the 2016 Assembly polls, the Left parties and Congress came together and bagged 76 seats

Elections for 294 Assembly seats in West Bengal are likely to take place in April-May this year.