Kolkata, Mar 15:
The Left Front headed by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) on Thursday announced the first list of 16 candidates including two old faces, for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal.
Out of the16 Left nominees, three are women – Saira Shah Halim from Kolkata South, Ipshita Dhar from Sreerampur and Jahanara Khan from Asansol, all of the CPI(M).
Among the old faces while Sujan Chakraborty (CPM) will contest from Dum Dum, Biplab Bhatta (CPI) has been nominated to contest from Midnapur.
All India Forward Bloc candidates Nitish Chandra Roy would contest from Cooch Behar and RSP candidate Jaydeb to contest from Balurghat CPI(M) veteran leader Biman Bose announced.
He said no seat sharing has happened so far with any party, and the door for such a move was still open.
The Left Front drew a blank in the 2019 Lok Sabha poll.
West Bengal has 42 seats, for which the Trinamool Congress has already announced candidates for all the seats, and the main opposition BJP declared 20 candidates for as many seats.
Before announcing the first list of Left candidates Biman Bose said they strongly opposed the notification of the rules under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act saying the CAA violates the secular principle of citizenship enshrined in the Constitution by linking citizenship to religious identity. He said religion cannot be a basis for granting citizenship.
