Left Front hints at contesting from 'heavyweight centre' Nandigram seat with full support from alliance

By Joymala Bagchi
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India] March 7 : The Left Front in West Bengal has hinted that it may throw its hat into the ring and announce its candidate for the "heavyweight centre" seat of Nandigram with the full backing from the alliance parties Congress and the Indian Secular Front (ISF).
"The candidate to contest from Nandigram will be from Left front and will be contesting the seat with full support from the alliance (Congress- Indian Secular Front). People will see how this will be a rise above petty politics of 'tu chor- mein Chor' and heading toward the fight for justice for all," Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Mohammad Salim told ANI.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had earlier announced her decision to contest from Nandigram where she will be pitched against her protegee Suvendu Adhikari who is contesting on the BJP ticket after joining the party in December last year.
While both TMC and BJP gear up for the high voltage battle, the Left Front say both the parties, with their proclivity for violnce are two sides of the same coin.
"It actually doesn't make much difference on which Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has selected for its candidates. We have seen how Trinamool Congress (TMC)'s offices were vandalised after the party announced its list of candidates for the upcoming election, the same scene will be on repeat mode with BJP too," added Salim.
Salim said that all the former Trinamool people have become modern BJP. TMC and BJP are doing things after consulting with each other. "Their godown is the same, however, the showroom is different."
Addressing a press conference here, Left Front chairman Biman Bose said while a few lists of prospective candidates has been drawn up, a final decision is yet to be taken. The last date for filing nomination for the first phase of the poll is March 9, while it is March 12 for the second phase.
The Nandigram seat was put on hold along with three others by the alliance after ISF demanded to contest from the Left bastion before 2011.
The list of the alliance consisting of the Left Front, Congress, and Furfura Sharif's Indian Secular Front (ISF) announced their candidate list for the first two phases on Friday at Alimuddin.
However the crucial seat of (210) Nandigram, (227) Pingla and (218) Egra, (230) Daspur is on hold and yet to be announced.
In the previous election, Suvendu Adhikari won the Nandigram seat which he fought under the TMC.
To fight on Nandigram seat Banerjee leaves her age-long Bhawanipore seat to Sobhandeb Chatterjee.
Nandigram, a former bastion of the Left Front holds immense political importance for both Left and TMC.
Back in 2007, Nandigram's anti-land acquisition movement led by Mamata Banerjee uprooted 34 years old Left government from Bengal in 2011.
It was from here (Nandigram) that TMC coined its 2011 election slogan 'Ma Mati Manush' (Mother, Motherland, and People).
For its 294 assembly seats, West Bengal is headed into an eight-phase election from March 27 that culminates on April 29. Counting of votes is scheduled on May 2.