Malda CPM gears up for fightback

Statesman News Service

MALDA, Feb. 15: Reviewing poor performance in the last rural polls and the Sujapur by-poll, the Malda CPI-M is gearing up its organisations to prepare for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The Malda CPI-M today convened a preparatory meeting inviting party members and leaders of eight zonal committees and 46 local committee secretaries to formulate strategies for taking on the strongest rival candidates belonging to Congress in South Malda and North Malda, the two parliamentary constituencies in the district.

State CPI-M leader Mr Shyamal Chakraborty convened the meeting and reviewed the weaknesses of the present set-up. It may be noted that a 54-member CPI-M district committee was asked to attend a meeting in Kolkata a few days ago where the state leadership sought clarification on various issues regarding poor performance and results in the last rural polls and the Sujapur by-poll. The state CPI-M leaders were not happy with the district leadership regarding pre-poll calculations about the expected results reported from the grassroots level.

The state CPI-M leadership had not expected that the district CPI-M would not be able to recapture the Malda zilla parishad in the last rural polls. The performance of the CPI-M and other Left parties was especially poor in Kaliahchak III block in South Malda and in Harishchandrapur I and II panchayat samitis in North Malda.

The CPI-M state leaders are aiming to secure at least one parliamentary constituency of the two in the district.

The CPI-M sources said the state leadership would finalise its two candidates on 24 February in Kolkata and will send proposals to the central committee for approval. By the end of February, the CPI-M-led Left Front will have finalised its candidates for the parliamentary seats in the state.

The district leaders are at present unwilling to disclose the probable candidates’ names, which are being discussed in political circles at present.

It was learnt that state environment and parliamentary affairs minister Mr Sailen Sarkar would contest from North Malda and minister of state for minority affairs Mr Abdus Sattar will take on Mr AH Khan Choudhury, the present Malda MP, in South Malda. The names of two other CPI-M MLAs, Mr Biswanath Ghosh and Mr Khagen Murmu, have come up alternatively in the last few days. (END)