Thaindian News

New Delhi, July 1 (IANS) Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee will attend a two-day politburo meeting of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) to “thoroughly discuss” the situation in West Bengal after the party’s civic polls debacle, party sources said.

The chief minister skipped the June 5-6 politburo meeting following the Left Front’s rout in civic polls in the state. “He will certainly attend the meeting,” said a CPI-M head office functionary Thursday.

West Bengal Industries Minister Nirupam Sen, who also skipped the politburo meeting last month, will also attend the July 3-4 meeting, the sources said.

“The politburo will thoroughly discuss the West Bengal political situation, based on the party state committee’s review of the local body election,” said another party leader.

In the previous meeting, the politburo discussed a preliminary report on the elections where the Trinamool Congress emerged supreme.

The civic polls outcome have been a shocker to the CPI-M-led Left Front government, which has been in power for 33 years.

Bhattacharjee and a powerful wing in the CPI-M’s West Bengal unit have been cut up with party general secretary Prakash Karat since the politburo decided to withdraw support to the Manmohan Singh government in 2008.

The chief minister strongly believes that Karat’s decision to cut all ties with the Congress over the India-US civil nuclear deal caused the Left’s rout in the elections.

The politburo will also discuss the economic and political situation in the country, besides the agenda of the extended central committee meeting to be held in Vijayawada Aug 7-10.

The central committee will meet July 21-23.