Md Salim, Politburo member and CPI-M state Secretary, stated on Wednesday that it is finally in the hands of the Congress party to determine if they wish to continue their electoral seat-sharing pact with the CPI-M-led Left Front for the crucial West Bengal Assembly elections next year.
Salim's comments followed media queries regarding the fate of Congress-Left Front alliance, particularly following reports that a section of top Congress leaders have shown a positive outlook towards the ruling Trinamool Congress in the state, headed by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
He elaborated, "The Congress requested our support for their candidate in the coming bypoll to the Kaliganj Assembly constituency next month.". We have decided to back their candidate and not contest ourselves. They told us they wanted to take the goodwill we established for the 2021 Assembly polls and 2024 Lok Sabha elections into the 2025 bypoll. Now, they have to decide what they want to do for 2026. We cannot make decisions for the Congress."
The Congress-Left Front electoral coalition started from 2016 West Bengal Assembly elections. The Left Front and Congress, however, lacked the seat-sharing arrangement in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
The tie-up was resumed for the 2021 Assembly elections and taken forward in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The big question today is if this arrangement will last for the 2026 elections, particularly in light of changes in the political environment within both parties.
On the one side, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury—himself notorious for openly opposing the Trinamool Congress—has been removed as Congress state leader by Suvankar Sarkar, who is perceived to be more open to the ruling party.
On the other side, the CPI-M's draft political resolution at its 24th Party Congress in Madurai, convened in April this year, calls for keeping a laser-like focus on independent political initiatives and mass mobilization in preference to overdependence on electoral coalitions.
The draft read, "The party must focus more on the independent political campaign and mass mobilisation on the party's political platform. There should be no dilution of our independent identity or undermining of our independent work in the name of electoral understanding or alliances."
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