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Exclusive | Left, ‌Congress‌ ‌to contest Kolkata civic polls separatelySources‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌party‌ ‌confirm‌ed ‌to‌ ‌Deccan‌ ‌Herald‌ ‌that‌ ‌the‌ ‌regional‌ ‌Congress‌ ‌leadership‌ ‌is‌ ‌not‌ ‌happy‌ ‌with‌ ‌the‌ ‌way‌ ‌it‌ ‌has‌ ‌been‌ ‌treated‌ ‌by‌ ‌the‌ ‌Left
Mohammed Safi Shamsi
DHNS
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The Left went‌ ‌ahead‌ ‌and‌ ‌announced‌ ‌ “unilaterally”‌ ‌its‌ ‌own‌ ‌list,‌ ‌sparing‌ ‌just‌ ‌around‌ ‌17‌ ‌seats‌ ‌for‌ ‌the‌ ‌Congress,‌ ‌and‌ ‌Indian‌ ‌Secular‌ ‌Front,‌ ‌who‌ ‌fought‌ ‌with‌ ‌Left‌ ‌in the‌ ‌last‌ ‌assembly‌ ‌elections. Credit: Getty Images
The Left went‌ ‌ahead‌ ‌and‌ ‌announced‌ ‌ “unilaterally”‌ ‌its‌ ‌own‌ ‌list,‌ ‌sparing‌ ‌just‌ ‌around‌ ‌17‌ ‌seats‌ ‌for‌ ‌the‌ ‌Congress,‌ ‌and‌ ‌Indian‌ ‌Secular‌ ‌Front,‌ ‌who‌ ‌fought‌ ‌with‌ ‌Left‌ ‌in the‌ ‌last‌ ‌assembly‌ ‌elections. Credit: Getty Images

A‌ ‌day‌ ‌after‌ ‌the‌ ‌Left‌ ‌Front‌ ‌announced‌ ‌its‌ ‌list‌ ‌of‌ ‌candidates‌ ‌for‌ ‌the‌ ‌upcoming‌ ‌civic‌ ‌polls‌ ‌in‌ ‌ Kolkata,‌ ‌the‌ ‌state‌ ‌unit‌ ‌of‌ ‌Congress‌ ‌Party,‌ ‌that‌ ‌fought‌ ‌the‌ ‌last‌ ‌assembly‌ ‌elections‌ ‌along‌ ‌with‌ ‌the‌ ‌Left‌ ‌parties,‌ ‌has‌ ‌decided‌ ‌to‌ ‌contest‌ ‌the‌ ‌elections‌ ‌on‌ ‌its‌ ‌own.‌ ‌

Sources‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌party‌ ‌confirm‌ed ‌to‌ ‌Deccan‌ ‌Herald‌ ‌that‌ ‌the‌ ‌regional‌ ‌Congress‌ ‌leadership‌ ‌is‌ ‌not‌ ‌happy‌ ‌with‌ ‌the‌ ‌way‌ ‌it‌ ‌has‌ ‌been‌ ‌treated‌ ‌by‌ ‌the‌ ‌Left,‌ ‌that‌ ‌went‌ ‌ahead‌ ‌and‌ ‌announced‌ ‌“unilaterally”‌ ‌its‌ ‌own‌ ‌list,‌ ‌sparing‌ ‌just‌ ‌around‌ ‌17‌ ‌seats‌ ‌for‌ ‌the‌ ‌Congress,‌ ‌and‌ ‌Indian‌ ‌Secular‌ ‌Front,‌ ‌who‌ ‌fought‌ ‌with‌ ‌Left‌ ‌in the‌ ‌last‌ ‌assembly‌ ‌elections.‌ ‌

Senior‌ ‌state‌ ‌leaders‌ ‌held‌ ‌a‌ ‌meeting‌ ‌on‌ ‌Friday‌ ‌night,‌ ‌and‌ ‌have‌ ‌reached‌ ‌a‌ ‌decision‌ ‌on‌ ‌around‌ ‌ 65-70‌ ‌names.‌ ‌“Wards‌ ‌where‌ ‌there‌ ‌are‌ ‌only‌ ‌single‌ ‌names‌ ‌have‌ ‌been‌ ‌finalised.‌ ‌For‌ ‌the‌ ‌balance,‌ ‌around‌ ‌50-52‌ ‌wards,‌ ‌where‌ ‌there‌ ‌are‌ ‌more‌ ‌than‌ ‌one‌ ‌possible‌ ‌candidates,‌ ‌discussions‌ ‌are‌ ‌under way‌ ‌and‌ ‌could‌ ‌be‌ ‌announced‌ ‌on‌ ‌Monday.‌ ‌We‌ ‌are‌ ‌going‌ ‌to‌ ‌contest‌ ‌at‌ ‌least‌ ‌120‌ ‌seats.‌ ‌We‌ ‌are‌ ‌going‌ ‌alone,”‌ ‌a‌ ‌senior‌ ‌Congress‌ ‌leader‌ ‌told DH.‌ ‌

Prior‌ ‌to‌ ‌announcements ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌civic‌ ‌elections,‌ ‌there‌ ‌had‌ ‌been‌ ‌preliminary‌ ‌attempts‌ ‌from‌ ‌the‌ ‌Left‌ ‌and‌ ‌the‌ ‌Congress‌ ‌forn‌ ‌discussions.‌ ‌However, this‌ ‌did‌ ‌not‌ ‌materialise.‌ ‌On‌ ‌Friday,‌ afrer ‌the‌ ‌Left‌ ‌made‌ ‌its‌ ‌announcement, it was clear that ‌Congress‌ ‌cadres,‌ ‌and‌ ‌a‌ ‌section‌ ‌of‌ ‌state‌ ‌leaders‌, ‌weren’t‌ ‌happy‌ ‌with‌ ‌the‌ ‌seats‌ ‌left‌ ‌for‌ ‌them.‌ ‌“We‌ ‌aren’t‌ ‌into‌ ‌khairati‌ ‌politics,”‌ ‌the‌ ‌leader‌ ‌told‌ ‌DH.‌ ‌

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(Published 27 November 2021, 14:15 IST)