Cong, CPI(M) hold parleys, resolve deadlock over several seats

Walking an extra mile to break the impasse over seat adjustments, the Congress and CPI(M) leadership tonight held a meeting and deadlock over various seats were resolved.
Senior Congress leaders Somen Mitra, Pradip Bhattacharya today went to the office of CPI(M) mouthpiece Ganashakti and held a long discussion with CPI(M) state Secretary Surjyakanta Mishra and other Marxist leaders to defuse the situation that has arisen over the seat sharing adjustments.
"The meeting has been very fruitful and positive. Lots of seats in other districts apart from Murshidabad which had overlapped with the second list of CPI(M) yesterday has been solved. They have decided to withdraw from certain seats. We have also got some new seats in North Bengal," a senior Congress leader who was present in the meeting told PTI.

"The issue of seat sharing in Murshidabad will be discussed directly between our state President Adhir Choudhury and the CPI(M) leadership," the leader said.
Mishra also corroborated the comments of state Congress leaders when contacted after the meeting.
"The discussions have been fruitful. Our main aim is to defeat the BJP and Trinamool Congress alliance in West Bengal. And we will do whatever it takes to defeat the unholy alliance," Mishra, the former West Bengal minister, said.

Earlier in the day the Marxists and Congress leadership said they were hopeful of an outcome.
"It is an unfolding story. You have to wait for some time more to get a complete picture. We are hopeful of an outcome in the next few days," CPI(M) Politburo member Mohammed Salim told PTI in the morning.

"Talks are on and we are hopeful that we will not let the
anti-TMC votes split. We will defuse the situation and not let it go out of hand. Trinamool Congress, BJP and many other entities don't want this alliance to take shape," a senior Congress leader privy to the seat adjustment talks said earlier in the day.
Tonight's parleys at CPI(M)'s daily's office came in the backdrop of announcement of second list of 84 candidates by the Left Front yesterday which had names of 11 seats that had already been announced by Congress.
The Left Front had announced their first list of 116 candidates on Monday and Congress had come out with their list of 75 candidates on Tuesday.

State Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury last night had said his party was "sincere" about a tie-up with the Left but is ready for a three-cornered contest if such situation arise.