CPI(M) and Congress will fight each other during April 9 by-elections in Bengal
It is official now. Electoral alliance between CPIM and Congress in Bengal has collapsed permanently. The two parties, which had contested 2016 Assembly polls jointly against Mamata Banerjee, will be contesting each other during the Contati (South) assembly by-elections, scheduled to take place on April 9.
Bengal Congress president and party MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that they will field their candidate for the by-elections. "This time, we would not spare anybody. We will fight Contai seat independently," Chowdhury said.
The CPIM too, has decided to contest the seat. Mamata Banerjee has already announced that former health minister and Trinamool's woman leader Chandrima Bhattacharjee would contest the seat. Both Congress and CPIM are yet to announce names of their candidates for the by-elections. The BJP too would be in the fray and the by-elections would be four-cornered. Chandrima had lost last year's Assembly elections to CPIM's Tanmoy Bhattacharjee.
Electoral alliance between the two parties has collapsed permanently. During last November's by-elections to two Lok Sabha and one assembly seat in Bengal, there was no alliance between CPIM and Congress. Both the parties have made it clear on Friday that there would not be any electoral adjustment for next month's by-elections.
As a result of an absence of a joint fight by Congress and CPIM, Trinamool's possibility of retaining Contai seat is now double assured. Contai (South) assembly seat fell vacant after Dibyendu Adhikary of Trinamool Congress resigned from the state Assembly as he won the Tamluk lok sabha by-polls on a Trinamool ticket in November last year.
There had been debates and controversies among CPIM polit bureau and central committee members over the Bengal party's decision to fight last year's Assembly elections jointly with the Congress. The central committee had last year asked Bengal unit of the CPIM to snap electoral tie with the Congress following which the CPIM had contested last November's by-elections separately. Now the Marxists would be fighting April by-polls without any support from the Congress. It is now certain that electoral alliance between the two parties has collapsed permanently.
Bengal Congress president and party MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that they will field their candidate for the by-elections. "This time, we would not spare anybody. We will fight Contai seat independently," Chowdhury said.
The CPIM too, has decided to contest the seat. Mamata Banerjee has already announced that former health minister and Trinamool's woman leader Chandrima Bhattacharjee would contest the seat. Both Congress and CPIM are yet to announce names of their candidates for the by-elections. The BJP too would be in the fray and the by-elections would be four-cornered. Chandrima had lost last year's Assembly elections to CPIM's Tanmoy Bhattacharjee.
Electoral alliance between the two parties has collapsed permanently. During last November's by-elections to two Lok Sabha and one assembly seat in Bengal, there was no alliance between CPIM and Congress. Both the parties have made it clear on Friday that there would not be any electoral adjustment for next month's by-elections.
As a result of an absence of a joint fight by Congress and CPIM, Trinamool's possibility of retaining Contai seat is now double assured. Contai (South) assembly seat fell vacant after Dibyendu Adhikary of Trinamool Congress resigned from the state Assembly as he won the Tamluk lok sabha by-polls on a Trinamool ticket in November last year.
There had been debates and controversies among CPIM polit bureau and central committee members over the Bengal party's decision to fight last year's Assembly elections jointly with the Congress. The central committee had last year asked Bengal unit of the CPIM to snap electoral tie with the Congress following which the CPIM had contested last November's by-elections separately. Now the Marxists would be fighting April by-polls without any support from the Congress. It is now certain that electoral alliance between the two parties has collapsed permanently.
