Congress forms alliance with Left parties for 2021 Bengal assembly polls
The Congress on Thursday (December 24) officially announced its electoral alliance with the Left parties for the upcoming assembly elections in West Bengal.
The Indian National Congress on Thursday (December 24) officially announced its electoral alliance with the Left parties for the 2021 Bengal assembly polls.
West Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury tweeted, “Today the Congress High command has formally approved the electoral alliance with the Left parties in the impending election of West Bengal.”
Assembly elections in West Bengal are due in April-May next year. The Congress-Left alliance will be taking on the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The Congress and the Left had managed to win a total of 76 seats in 2016 assembly election. While the BJP won just three seats, the TMC had bagged 211 seats in the 294 elected-member House.
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The Congress and the Left parties have faced difficulty in holding on to their voter base in recent years. Therefore, they are hoping that the decision of forming an alliance will help them win the 2021 Bengal polls.
The central committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) had in October approved the West Bengal unit’s decision to have an electoral understanding with all secular parties, including the Congress, in the upcoming assembly elections.