Parties blame each other for sporadic violence in N Bengal
The Election Commission received over 100 complaints of violence and intimidation from three Lok Sabha segments, Cooch Behar, Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri.
Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh has asked Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury to defect to the saffron camp after the latter was “insulted” at the Left-Congress’ joint Brigade rally last week.
Bengal Congress chief Chowdhury was left red faced on Sunday when he was purportedly asked to cut his speech short when Abbas Siddiqui came up on the stage. The ISF founder also attacked the Congress directly during his address later.
The development was followed by wild rumours that Chowdhury was not happy with the Left Front making the ISF a partner of its alliance with Congress.
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However, the opposition leader of the Lok Sabha played down the speculations and said that the Congress was in seat-sharing talks with the Left and it was up to the latter whom they wanted to accomodate in its side.
“He is a respected Congress leader and two-time state president. But the way he is being insulted everywhere, he should think about leaving Congress. If a leader like him wants to join another party, there won’t be shortage of space,” Ghosh said.
Chowdhury has found himself in a tricky position over the seat-sharing deal with Left and ISF. The problem remains over the seat-sharing between the Congress and the ISF, as the negotiations between two parties are still underway and Congress doesn’t want to concede seats that it had won in the last election.
The Congress last time had contested 92 seats and won 44 in which about 20 MLAs crossed to the ruling TMC. The Congress is the second-largest party in the outgoing Assembly holding the Leader of Opposition post.
The Congress-Left-ISF alliance wants to make the Assembly polls a triangular contest and not only between TMC and BJP. The saffron party has also placed itself as the main Opposition after winning 18 seats in the Lok Sabha polls.
The TMC is eyeing a third term in West Bengal, however, many leaders including close aides of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee have switched sides to the BJP, even as the saffron party is upbeat about the polls and central leaders of the party are visiting the state frequently.
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