Cong, Left seat sharing talk in Bengal on verge of collapse

KOLKATA: Annoyed over the CPI(M) unilaterally announcing candidates for the Raiganj and Murshidabad Lok Sabha seats, Congress' Bengal unit chief Somen Mitra accused the Left Front of not being keen on having an alliance. Mitra said his party won't compromise with its dignity and has its list of 42 candidates ready, asserting that it has left the matter to the high command to take a final call. “It seems that the Left Front is not keen on having an alliance with the Congress. The Left Front won't be able to win a single seat without the help of Congress in the state. But Congress would be able to retain its four seats,” Mitra said. “If needed we will fight alone in the state. We have our list of 42 candidates ready. We wanted an alliance till 2021 assembly polls so that our alliance or understanding gets acceptability from the masses. But the CPI(M) is more keen on short term political gains and doesn't want any long-term adjustment.”