Bhubaneswar: The Communist Party of India (CPI) state unit today asked the Congress Party to spare seven assembly seats and Aska Lok Sabha seat as part of seat adjustment for the coming general elections.

The proposal was put forth by the CPI leaders at the negotiation committee of both the political parties held here today. Congress and two left parties-CPI and CPM -have decided in principle to have seat sharing for the coming elections.

CPI has demanded Chhatrapur, Boudh, Brajarajnagar, Ersama-Balikuda, Sundargarh, Chitrakonda and Junagarh assembly seats and Aska Lok Sabha seat. At the preliminary stage, it had sought 17 assembly seats and two Lok Sabha seats. However, it later scaled down its demand to 7 assembly seats and one Lok Sabha seat.

CPI state secretary Dibakar Nayak told Odisha Sun Times, “ It has been tentatively decided that our party will get Aska Lok Sabha seat as part of seat sharing. But the seat sharing for the assembly seats has not yet been finalised.” He hoped that it would be finalized soon.

Congress Legislature Party leader Narasingha Mishra said, “ We had open discussion with our CPI friends today. Whatever discussed here will be put before the respective forums of the two parties. Then the seat sharing will be finalised”.

The state executive of CPI will be held tomorrow and the Pradesh Congress Election Committee is scheduled to meet on March 6 and 7. The seat sharing between the two parties was expected to be finalized after the first week of this month.

Pradesh Congress Committee president Niranjan Patnaik, Congress Legislature Party Leader Narasingha Mishra, senior party leaders Jagannath Patnaik and Ananta Prasad Sethy were present at today’s meeting on behalf of the Congress. On the other hand, CPI state secretary Dibakar Nayak, senior party leaders Ashish Kanungo, Ramakrishna Panda, Abhay Sahu and Prashant Mishra represented the left party at the negotiation committee meeting.