Now Left Front is getting ‘tired of waiting’ for Congress in Bengal, with TMC, BJP racing ahead with candidates

With the poll dates for the coming Lok Sabha elections in, the Trinamool Congress and BJP are off the ground in West Bengal, having announced candidates for all the 42 seats and 20 constituencies, respectively. However, presumptive allies Congress, Left Front and Indian Secular Front (ISF) are yet to untangle their seat-sharing puzzle in Bengal.

Last week, the Left Front, comprising the CPI(M), CPI and Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), went ahead and unilaterally announced a list of 16 candidates, 14 of them fresh faces.

Talks between the ISF and Left at least seemed to pick up pace after TMC chief Mamata Banerjee announced candidates for all the seats, putting to rest any remaining hopes that she might concede ground to accommodate its commitment to INDIA.

Sources said the Abbas Siddiqui-led ISF initially demanded 14 seats as part of the alliance with the Left, dialling down reportedly to 8 later. The Left though does not want to part with more than 6. Incidentally, while it was formed only ahead of the 2021 Bengal Assembly polls, the ISF had won 1 seat in an election where both the Congress and Left had drawn a blank.

“We cannot give the ISF more than 6 seats. They are seeking Jadavpur and Murshidabad, but we cannot part with these as we have already announced a candidate for Jadavpur and finalised a name for Murshidabad. The ball is in the ISF’s court,” a senior CPI(M) leader said.

The Congress reportedly wants 12 seats, but the Left is trying to bring that down to 10. Sources said that additionally, while the Left Front is ready to leave Purulia and Raiganj for the Congress, it expects the grand old party to leave Murshidabad for it. “A senior CPI(M) leader belonging to the minority community may be fielded from