Kolkata, Nov 6 The CPI(M) leadership is in favour of leaving the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha seat in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district to the All India Secular Front (AISF), considering that Nawsad Siddique, the sole AISF representative in the state Assembly, is keen to contest from the minority-dominated constituency in next year's general elections.
The CPI(M) leadership, party insiders said, are also willing to convince the other constituents of the Left Front as well as the state Congress leadership in the matter.
However, party insiders said the condition is that Diamond Harbour will be only among the 42 Lok Sabha constituencies in West Bengal that can be given to AISF.
On Sunday, Siddique not only expressed his desire to contest from Diamond Harbour, where the sitting MP is Trinamool Congress’ national General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, but also threw a challenge “to make the sittingLok Sabha member from there a former MP” after the 2024 polls.
Political observers feel that CPI(M)'s sympathetic stand towards Siddique’s claims for Diamond Harbour has been prompted by the AISF’s announcement to field candidates from a number of other constituencies in Murshidabad, Malda, North Dinajpur, Cooch Behar, South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas and Howrah districts, which have a substantial proportion of minority voters, enough to decide the fates of the candidates.
Hence, they feel, if AISF leadership is convinced to withdraw stakes for the other constituencies after getting Diamond Harbour, it will surely be a profitable proposition for both the Left Front and the Congress.
“In AISF is satisfied with just Diamond Harbour, in all probability the Congress leadership in West Bengal will also not object to it considering that India’s oldest political party has major stakes in a number of minority-dominated constituencies, especially in Murshidabad and Malda districts,” said a city-based political observer.
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