Cong’s seat sharing talks with CPI end

BHUBANESWAR: Congress on Saturday completed final round of talks with CPI for seat adjustment in the upcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.

Sources said the CPI wants to field candidates in one Lok Sabha and five Assembly seats though a final word from the Congress is awaited. Congress has agreed to leave Aska Lok Sabha seat for CPI while problems remain for some of the Assembly seats demanded by the party. The CPI, which had earlier demanded 12 Assembly seats, had brought down the number to seven.

However, the party is now focused on Chhatrapur, Boudh, Brajrajnagar, Erasama-Balikuda and Chitrakonda seats. There are, however, strong Congress contenders for Balikuda and Brajrajnagar seats.
Talks with CPM and JMM are scheduled on Sunday and Tuesday respectively. Congress will have to complete negotiations with like-minded parties before March 6 as the election committee will meet on that day.

President of OPCC Niranjan Patnaik, leader of the Opposition and head of the committee on negotiations Narasingh Mishra, committee members Jagannath Patnaik and Anant Prasad Sethi attended the meeting. CPI leaders Asish Kanungo, Dibakar Nayak and Ramkrushna Panda were present.