Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has announced that the party has decided to ally with the Left for the next year's assembly polls in West Bengal.
The Congress on Thursday formally announced its tie-up with the Left parties for the upcoming assembly elections in West Bengal. State chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury tweeted to announce the partnership for the polls scheduled to be held in April/May next year. "Today the Congress High command has formally approved the electoral alliance with the Left parties in the impending election of West Bengal," he said.
Speaking at a press conference later, Chowdhury took a dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and said that the Congress doesn't 'supply' leaders from Delhi. When asked about the party's CM face for Bengal polls, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said decision in this regard will be taken later.
Earlier today, attacking poll-bound Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Chowdhury had said that she has paved way for BJP in the state. He said that the people of Bengal had no relation with the saffron party but the doors to BJP were opened by Trinamool Congress.
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Citing the TMC-BJP alliance in 1999 Lok Sabha polls, Chowdhury has said that Congress had warned Mamata at that time but she helped the strengthening of BJP in Bengal.
The central committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) had in October approved the West Bengal unit’s decision to have an electoral understanding with all secular parties, including the Congress, in the upcoming assembly elections. The CPI(M) polit bureau had given its go-ahead to the move but had left the final decision to the central committee.
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West Bengal polls
West Bengal assembly with 294 seats will go to polls in April-May 2021, Trinamool holds 222 seats. However, BJP has made major inroads in the state in the Lok Sabha elections winning 18 seats, and establishing itself as the major Opposition force in the state. Recently TMC trumped BJP in all 3 bypolls but the BJP is using its booth-level strategy, has deployed its top leaders including Amit Shah and JP Nadda in the state for winning the upcoming elections.
