<p>Congress’ poor show in Bihar Assembly elections has raised doubts in the Left Front in West Bengal as to whether the grand old party should be allotted a large number of seats in the Left-Congress alliance for the 2021 Assembly elections.</p>.<p>While the Congress won in only 19 out of 70 seats it contested in Bihar, the Left parties won 16 out of 29 seats they contested. The CPI-ML (Liberation) led the pack by winning 12 seats.</p>.<p>Sources in the Left Front said some of its constituents were apprehensive whether Congress’ “poor strike rate” in Bihar would throw a spanner into the seat-sharing discussions in Bengal. “Hopefully this time it would not become a hurriedly formed mess like the 2016 Assembly elections,” said a senior Left Front leader.</p>.<p>CPI-ML (Liberation) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said the Congress always takes a decision based on its legacy, but there must be a balance between the past and the present.</p>.<p>“The results would have been much better in Bihar if the Left and Congress contested in 50 seats each,” said Bhattacharya.</p>.<p>Sources in the CPI(M) West Bengal State Committee said the party was preparing for a “hard bargaining” with the Congress for the Assembly elections next year.</p>.<p>They also said the Congress barely have any ground-level organisation in Bengal but only had a “long political history.”</p>.<p>“Just because it (Congress) is a major party that does not necessarily mean that they should always get the most number of seats. Congress’ poor show became a crucial factor in Bihar. We are keeping an eye on the situation,” sources said.</p>.<p>Moreover, the delay by the Congress in starting the seat-sharing discussions had created apprehensions in the Left Front.</p>.<p>The demand of making Leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha and state Congress President Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury Chief Ministerial candidate by a section of state Congress leaders has not made the situation any better.</p>.<p>However, Chowdhury said there was no reason to worry about the Left-Congress alliance and it would come to power in Bengal dislodging the Mamata Banerjee government.</p>
<p>Congress’ poor show in Bihar Assembly elections has raised doubts in the Left Front in West Bengal as to whether the grand old party should be allotted a large number of seats in the Left-Congress alliance for the 2021 Assembly elections.</p>.<p>While the Congress won in only 19 out of 70 seats it contested in Bihar, the Left parties won 16 out of 29 seats they contested. The CPI-ML (Liberation) led the pack by winning 12 seats.</p>.<p>Sources in the Left Front said some of its constituents were apprehensive whether Congress’ “poor strike rate” in Bihar would throw a spanner into the seat-sharing discussions in Bengal. “Hopefully this time it would not become a hurriedly formed mess like the 2016 Assembly elections,” said a senior Left Front leader.</p>.<p>CPI-ML (Liberation) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said the Congress always takes a decision based on its legacy, but there must be a balance between the past and the present.</p>.<p>“The results would have been much better in Bihar if the Left and Congress contested in 50 seats each,” said Bhattacharya.</p>.<p>Sources in the CPI(M) West Bengal State Committee said the party was preparing for a “hard bargaining” with the Congress for the Assembly elections next year.</p>.<p>They also said the Congress barely have any ground-level organisation in Bengal but only had a “long political history.”</p>.<p>“Just because it (Congress) is a major party that does not necessarily mean that they should always get the most number of seats. Congress’ poor show became a crucial factor in Bihar. We are keeping an eye on the situation,” sources said.</p>.<p>Moreover, the delay by the Congress in starting the seat-sharing discussions had created apprehensions in the Left Front.</p>.<p>The demand of making Leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha and state Congress President Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury Chief Ministerial candidate by a section of state Congress leaders has not made the situation any better.</p>.<p>However, Chowdhury said there was no reason to worry about the Left-Congress alliance and it would come to power in Bengal dislodging the Mamata Banerjee government.</p>
