Bengal polls: ISF releases first list of 26 seats

Kolkata, March 13 dmanewsdesk:  Amid an ongoing tussle with alliance partner Congress over the seat-sharing agreement, the Abbas Siddiqui-led Indian Secular Front on Friday released the first list of 26 constituencies it will contest in the upcoming assembly elections in West Bengal.

The party, however, is yet to name the candidates who will contest from these seats.

Seats in the list include Mahisadal, Canning Purba, Bhangar, Metiabruz, Panchla, Uluberia Purba, Basirhat Uttar, Ashoknagar, Amdanga, Asansol Uttar, Entally, Madhyamgram and Khanakul.

Party sources said that the ISF has an alliance with the Left Front in these 26 seats.

“The 26 seats are out of the 30 constituencies that we got from the Left Front. Our alliance partners will contest the remaining four seats. We decided to announce the names of the seats so that there is no confusion among our supporters,” ISF leader Simul Soren told PTI.

Also, by announcing the names of the seats, we have sent a message to our alliance partner Congress, with whom the seat-sharing talks have not been smooth, that we would be contesting from those constituencies so that there is no duplication of alliance candidates, he said.

The Congress and the ISF had last week managed to break the ice between them over seat-sharing but talks are still underway for some constituencies.

Newly floated ISF had initially demanded 15 seats from the Congress, but the grand old party has agreed to give it only eight.

The Left Front has given 30 seats to the ISF from its kitty.

Source: PTI