NEW DELHI: Days after the
CPM party congress gave a green signal to an “understanding” with
Congress to defeat communal forces, the two parties have decided to jointly challenge the ruling Trinamool Congress in an assembly byelection in West Bengal. The Congress leadership has asked its
Bengal unit chief Adhir Chowdhury to go ahead with the plan for a joint fight in Maheshtala assembly bypoll.
After being approached by CPM state secretary Suryakant Mishra for an electoral understanding, the Congress leader spoke to AICC general secretary CP Joshi, suggesting that the party should let the CPM field its candidate in the bypoll. Joshi gave his go-ahead. While sources said there was little hope of wresting the constituency from
TMC, a tie-up would send an unambiguous message to the supporters of CPM and Congress that they were back as partners.
There is resentment in Congress camp that CPM snapped the tie-up struck during the 2016 assembly elections owing to the push from the Prakash Karat faction. Chowdhury said two years of fragmented opposition not only gave the Mamata regime a free reign but also created a vacuum that allowed BJP to grow.
BJP’s rise in Bengal has unnerved the Left and Congress since the saffron party would spread its reach at the cost of existing opposition forces. The saffron ranks are being beefed up by CPM and Congress supporters who have lost faith in their parties to challenge TMC.