No understanding with Congress in WB: CPI

Striking a discordant note, CPI today said though it will be a part of the Left Front in West Bengal it will have no understanding with Congress in the assembly polls as planned by the lead partner CPI(M) to put up a joint fight against the ruling TMC.
"As far as we are concerned, we are part of the Left Front (in West Bengal) and we are not having any adjustment with Congress. We have no discussions. As per our knowledge, discussions have not taken place between Left Front and Congress," CPI General Secretary S Sudhakar Reddy told reporters here.

He was replying to a query on Left Front chairman Biman Bose's announcement yesterday that it had reached an "understanding" with Congress to fight jointly the ruling Trinamool Congress in the West Bengal elections.
Announcing the names of 116 candidates out of a total 294 seats, Bose had said, "we have welcomed an understanding with Congress to remove Trinamool from the state, while making it clear that "front,alliance and understanding are not the same thing."
"Such news reports (understanding between Left and Congress) came earlier and today," Reddy said.
Asked if CPI would accept if the CPI(M) went ahead with its understanding with the Congress, he said, "We (CPI) are contesting as part of Left Front. Naturally, we have no alliance with Congress in any seat. We don't support Congress in any seat. We don't expect Congress to support us".

CPI has decided contest 16 seats in West Bengal, he said. Assembly polls in West Bengal will be spread over six phases starting from April 4.

In Kerala which goes to polls on May 16, CPI would contest 29 or 30 assembly seats, where the final understanding among the LDF partners would be announced in a couple of days, he said.
Claiming that the ruling UDF has got "defamed", he felt that the LDF's chances to come to power in Kerala are bright.
The alliance in Tamil Nadu comprising CPI,CPI(M),MDMK and VCK has got encouraging response, Reddy claimed, adding that more parties would join the coalition in the run-up to the polls on May 16.

CPI has identified 65 constituencies to contest in Tamil Nadu but is ready to adjust for the sake of friendly parties.
Except SUCI, all other Left parties have decided to fight together in the two-phased Assam assembly polls (April 4 and 11), in which CPI would contest 18 constituencies.