The discussions between the Congress, Left and the Indian Secular Front (ISF) on seat-sharing and alliance ahead of the assembly polls in West Bengal is yet to be concluded, said Congress Leader Pradeep Bhattacharya on Saturday.
After getting 30 seats from the Left, the ISF is asking for more seats from Congress. However, with only 90-92 seats, Congress believes offering more seats will be 'problematic'.
"It is true that our discussion has not yet concluded. The Left Front and Congress had a discussion and we arrived at a solution. But ISF appeared in the scene and the question of leaving them some seats arose," Bhattacharya told .
"Though I told them repeatedly not to give them so many seats because it's a new party and we do not know their orgsational strength, the Left offered them 30 seats. Now the problem is that they (ISF) are asking Congress for more seats. We have only 90- 92 seats. How we are going to offer them more?" Bhattacharya added.
The Congress party believes that giving them seats means cutting down on their own, and if they cannot get more seats from the Left front, it will be difficult.
"To resolve this problem, the party president Adhir Ranjan Choudhury should talk to the Left Front chairman directly. We have narrowed down some seats but we don't have much time left and we have to solve this at the earliest," Bhattacharya said.
The candidate list of the Sanyukt Morcha consists of the Left front, the Congress party and Furfura Sharif's Indian Secular Front (ISF). They announced their candidate list for the first two phases on Friday at Alimuddin.
However, crucial seats of Nandigram, Pingla and Egra, Daspur is on hold and yet to be announced.
Chairing the press conference on Friday, Left Front chairman Biman Bose said that there were a few lists where the final decisions are yet to be taken.
The elections for the 294 Assembly seats in West Bengal will begin on March 27. The state is going to witness eight-phase Assembly polls this year.
West Bengal Assembly elections for 294 seats will be held in eight phases starting from March 27 with the final round of voting taking place on April 29.
The state is likely to witness a triangular contest this time with Trinamool Congress, Congress-Left-ISF alliance, and the BJP in the fray.
The counting of votes in the state will take place on May 2.
( With inputs from ANI )
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