Another state where mahagathbandhan has failed to work on the ground.
The Congress’s Central Election Committee on Monday took a conclusive decision to not proceed with an alliance with the Left in West Bengal. State unit leaders met party president Rahul Gandhi, Mukul Wasnik, and AK Antony to convey their position. Consequently, names of the party’s candidates that will go to the polls in the first three phases is expected to be announced tonight.
In the meeting, held at 10 Janpath at 9 am in the morning, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi was also present. A leader present in the meeting said that while Sonia did not interfere in the decision-making process, she was there to listen to the contention of the state leaders.
Leaders from West Bengal had announced late Sunday that the party will go alone in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections after talks with the Left fell through, the president of the party’s state unit Somen Mitra making the announcement in Kolkata. He travelled to Delhi for a meeting of the party’s Central Election Committee which was held on Monday morning.
While senior party leaders have been in talks with the Left, what had irked them initially was that the Left released names of over 17 candidates among the 42 seats in the states, and also said that a few more seats will be announced in the next few days. The final straw came in when the Left on Sunday announced more candidates, and curiously also named the head of the Congress state unit’s Medical Cell as the Birbhum candidate.
The party’s state unit election committee then had a meeting Sunday evening, where the gathering authorised Mitra to convey the state unit’s decision to New Delhi. The Sunday meeting was preceded by a meeting of the party’s unit on Saturday to decide on the alliance. Sources said Saturday’s meeting was broken off midway with heated arguments about the Left alliance. Due to the absence of party’s AICC in-charge for West Bengal, Gaurav Gogoi, AICC secretary Sarat Raut officiated on both occasions.
Prior to this, during February 17’s meeting at AICC between Gandhi and state leaders for selection of candidates, the state unit had opined that they are looking to go alone in West Bengal.
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 "Soumendranath Mitra")
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