Congress to Trinamool: Replicate Lok Sabha poll pact terms
March 5th, 2011 - 9:42 pm ICT by IANSKolkata, March 5 (IANS) West Bengal state Congress president Manas Bhuniya Saturday said the assembly poll tie-up with the Trinamool Congress should follow the formula used in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls as it was “most viable and reasonable”.
During the Lok Sabha polls, Trinamool candidates were in the fray in 28 or two-thirds of the 42 seats. Congress nominees contested the remaining one-third or 14 seats.
“We will hold discussions with them (Trinamool) regarding various aspects. But the formula of seat sharing adopted during the Lok Sabha polls is the most viable and most reasonable. The discussions will start soon,” Bhuniya told mediapersons here.
In the 2009 elections, the Trinamool and the Congress, along with another ally, decimated the Left Front that has been ruling the state since 1977. The opposition combine bagged 26 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats.
Last year, the Trinamool and the Congress failed to reach an agreement on seat sharing in the civic elections.
Bhuniya also took a dig at assembly Speaker H.A. Halim who Friday said that the Election Commission should have consulted him to ascertain the pending legislative business in the house before announcing the assembly poll dates.
“If the chief minister and finance minister advocates this demand I can understand, but I don’t understand why the speaker is saying this,” said Bhuniya.
West Bengal will have six-phase polling beginning April 18.
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- Trinamool names 228 candidates, leaves 64 seats for Congress (Lead) - Mar 18, 2011
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- Congress seals pact with Trinamool for West Bengal assembly polls (Roundup) - Mar 22, 2011
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