The left and the Congress were discussing seat-sharing formula before any formal announcement of an alliance could be made, sources from both parties said.
Things became clearer when CPI(M) MP Md Salim and his Congress counterpart from Malda AH Khan Chowdhury on Tuesday held elaborate discussions on seat-sharing in Malda district a strong Congress bastion.
“We indeed discussed things today (Tuesday)” said AH Khan Chowdhury the younger brother of late Congress patriarch ABA Ghani Khan Chowdhury adding “Salim told me to hasten up things and I concurred with him on the issue and we discussed on seat-sharing.” The two leaders reportedly discussed the issue in the sidelines of the parliament session.
On the prospects of the Alliance winning in Malda the Congress MP said “Malda is a known Congress bastion and there is not a shred of doubt about our winning from here. Even the seats that we will leave to the CPI(M) will be won by them.”
Earlier when asked whether the high command was agreeable to a formal alliance with the left, Bengal Pradesh Congress president Adhir Chowdhury had said, “there are talks being held and we have not been stopped from holding talks with the left by our topmost leadership.
That is why our workers are boldly staging joint movements at the lowest level.”
The left and the Congress are jointly holding rallies in districts like Birbhum, North and South 24 Parganas and East Midnapore for the past few days. “The alliance has already taken place at the lowest level as you can see the men from both parties are joining each other with their respective flags. If this is not an alliance then what is!” OP Mishra senior Congress leaders asked.
Notwithstanding a different forecast being aired by a Bangla television channel a separate study by a group of PCC leaders have predicted 185-plus seats for the Congress-left alliance in Bengal.
Meanwhile, taking lesions from the 2014 general elections and subsequent polls organised by the State poll panel the Election Commission of India was taking measures far in advance sending 100 companies of central forces by March 1, sources said.
Another 100 companies of CRPF will land by March 7 sources said adding ADG law and Order was Anuj Sharma was in touch with the Commission regarding the deployment of the central forces.
The forces are likely to be sent in the sensitive districts like Birbhum, Murshidabad sources said adding the reason behind their early deployment is “the Commission is not wholly relying on the State police. It wants the forces not only to dominate areas and instill confidence among the voters but also to let them be geographically acquainted with the respective areas where they will be deployed so that they can act quickly when there is a need.”