The Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Front has announced its candidates for 16 out of West Bengal's 42 Lok Sabha constituencies, even as discussions with the Congress regarding seat-sharing are ongoing.
During a press conference in Kolkata, Left Front chairman Biman Bose disclosed the list of candidates, stating that 14 out of the 16 candidates are new and young faces.
The candidates announced include Saira Shah Halim from Kolkata South, Sujan Chakraborty from Dum Dum, Srijan Bhattacharya from Jadavpur, Dipsita Dhar from Serampore, and Sayan Banerjee from Tamluk, among others.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) will contest 13 seats, while its allies will field candidates for three seats.
Bose mentioned that the decision to declare candidates for 16 seats was made following a crucial meeting involving all leaders of the Left Front. However, he also stated that discussions with the Congress were ongoing, and the Left Front would wait for their return from New Delhi to discuss further.
Regarding the Indian Secular Front's (ISF) declaration of intention to contest eight seats in Bengal, Bose clarified that the Left Front would not be responsible for the ISF's decision, and the candidate nominated by CPIM in the Jadavpur constituency would represent the Left Front.
Bose further mentioned that discussions were ongoing with Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury to finalize seat-sharing arrangements, indicating the possibility of an alliance if a practical proposal is brought forward by the Congress.
The list of candidates announced by the Left Front includes nominees for various constituencies such as Coochbihar, Jalpaiguri, Balurghat, Krishnanagar, and others.
Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) led by Mamata Banerjee has announced candidates for all 42 seats in West Bengal, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has named candidates for 20 seats.
