Alliance only with Left parties : Bardhan

Odisha Sun Times Bureau

Bhubaneswar, Mar 12 :

Veteran CPI leader AB Bardhan has ruled out any truck with the Odisha ruling party Biju Janata Dal with regard to a pre-poll alliance or seat adjustment saying if at all, his party would enter into an alliance only with the Left parties.

Bardhan who is in the city to attend a series of meeting with party functionaries at the CPI state headquarters told reporters on his arrival in the city last evening that he was ready to discuss possible seat sharing with the BJD if Naveen Patnaik is willing to do so.

However, he had also said he would consult the state unit leaders in the matter.

Sources said the state unit of CPI is now opposed to the idea of going the extra mile to revive its 2009 pre-poll alliance with BJD,  after receiving information that the BJD is not prepared to offer  the Jagatsinghpur Lok Sabha seat that it had won in 2009 following the seat adjustment with the ruling party.

The party has decided to contest 4 Lok Sabha seats – Jagatsinghpur, Bargarh, Bhadrak and Baleswar, sources in the party told OST. The sources said since CPI-M has also decided to field its candidate in the Baleswar Lok Sabha seat, CPI will hold talks with them to decide whether to contest that seat or not.

The CPI now plans to discuss the formation of a broad Left alliance in the state with the CPI-M, CPI-ML and other Left parties.

The other major left party, the CPI-M has already announced its candidates both for the assembly and Lok Sabha seats in the state and said that it will go alone in the state in the forthcoming elections.