West Bengal’s Congress chief Somen Mitra has said that his party would like to contest the municipal elections across the state along with the Left. The municipal polls are scheduled next year.
Speaking to the media in Kolkata, the Congress State President said that his party was willing to form an alliance with all secular, democratic parties to fight Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as well as the Trinamool Congress. He said that the BJP was working towards dividing the nation and the Trinamool Congress was no good for the state. He said that in the coming elections of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and other municipalities of the state, his party was willing to form an alliance with the Left parties.
In the recent past, Congress leaders Somen Mitra, Abdul Mannan and Left leaders Sujan Chakraborty, Surjya Kanta Mishra and Biman Bose have shared the dais and fought elections in the state together.
A senior CPIM leader said that the municipal elections were still several months away and the party’s position will be made clear officially.
The relations between Congress and the CPIM had soured due to issues on seat sharing in the recent Lok Sabha polls in Bengal. However, after poor performance of both the Congress and the Left parties in the election, the leadership from both sides have shown interest in joint movements and programmes. Mitra’s comments are being seen by some as an effort to wipe out ill feelings of the past.
