The Congress on Thursday expressed hope that the talks on its alliance with the left Front would be wrapped up soon.
Senior State leader and Rajya Sabha member Pradip Bhattacharya said “talks are on with the CPI(M). We have placed our points and they too have placed theirs. There are some differences which should be thrashed out in a few days time.”
His party colleague and Malda MP AH Khan Chowdhury also said “there isno question of going back from here. Both the sides walked so many miles and cannot jettison the talks now. We will wrap it up soon. But having said so we also should remember that we have placed some legitimate demands regarding seat-sharing and want that to be appreciated and addressed by the left. I think they will see reason and soon things will fall in place.”
When contacted Bengal Opposition leader and CPI(M) State secretary Surya Kanta Mishra also said that talks were on and soon a mutually accepted formula should be arrived at.
According to sources the Congress which has been asking for anywhere between 102 and 110 seats is willing to settle down with 90 seats “but not less than that.” Apart from this they want a toe-hold in South Bengal where they have about 3-4 per cent votes.
In 2011 “though being our alliance partner Mamata Banerjee had literally erased us from South Bengal by imposing a unilateral seat-sharing formula but this time we do not want that,” said a senior PCC leader. The CPI(M) is planning to leave about 75 seats for the Congress 10 more than what was left by Banerjee.
With talks hitting a wall over 15-20 seats and the lesser left partners unwilling to leave seats — asking the CPI(M) to do the sacrifice — some senior leaders from both the sides have floated another formula whereby both the left and Congress will field candidates from these 15-20 seats and have a “friendly fight.”
“Bengal Assembly has 294 seats. Out of them the lesser left partners want their usual quota of 80 seats while the Congress is asking for 90. In that case the CPI(M) is left with 124 seats only — or even less if it has to give a couple of seats to PDS and SUCI,” lamented a senior State committee leader adding “the CPI(M) has borne the brunt of Trinamool assault over the past five years with the effect that about 35,000 of our workers have fled the State and another 40,000 have either been jailed or been framed in false cases. And now we are being asked to make maximum sacrifice. This unfair and hope leaders would appreciate this.”