Despite several rounds of talks within the Left Front over a seat-sharing arrangement for the upcoming West Bengal Assembly election, there has been no headway, CPI(ML) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya told The Hindu. His remarks come days after CPI(M) general secretary M. A. Baby said that the expanded Left Front in West Bengal was likely to include the CPI(ML).
The CPI(ML) has been a minor player in West Bengal politics and has not been part of the Left Front. The only CPI(ML) leader to have won an Assembly seat in the State was Santosh Rana in 1977.
CPI(M) is fighting both TMC and BJP in West Bengal: M.A. Baby
The Left Front has fared poorly in the last two Assembly elections. In 2021, the Left parties drew a blank, while the Indian Secular Front (ISF), a new entrant to the alliance, won one seat. In 2016, the CPI(M)-led Mahajot won 76 of the 277 seats it contested, though there were friendly contests in over a dozen constituencies. The West Bengal Assembly has 294 seats.
Addressing a press conference last Friday, Mr. Baby said that in an effort to improve its electoral performance, the Left Front was trying to include newer partners, including the CPI(ML).
