LF fails to choose consensus candidate to RS

Kolkata, Mar 6 (UNI) The ruling Left Front in West Bengal today failed to reach a consensus on its fifth candidate for the Rajya Sabha elections delaying the decision for another seven days.

'' The Front partners have failed to reach a consensus on the fifth candidate in the Rajya Sabha as the discussion ended inconclusively. We have called another Left Front meeting on March 13 to find out a consensus name,'' Left Front Chairman Biman Bose told reporters after a meeting.

Mr Bose said while the Front would field four candidates on its own strength, the coalition partners entrusted him to initiate negotiations to find out a consensus independent nominee for the fifth seat who would be capable of garnering the additional votes to ensure victory.

The Front had earlier successfully put up independent candidates in retired army chief Gen Shanker Roy Chowdhury and Mr Arjun Singh to corner the fifth seat in its favour.

The Front has a strength of 39 as against the required 49 to get its candidate win the fifth seat.

'' We have decided to find out someone who will definitely be a consensus independent candidate also for other political parties,'' Mr Basu said.

While the last date for filing nomination for the Rajya Sabha election is on March 17, the Front partners will file papers on March 14 and 15, he said.

The Front Chairman said the meeting decided to launch a statewide protest movement from March two to 16 against the Congress-led UPA Government for the price hike and the sorry state of public distribution system. Mass deputations would also be given to the concerned Union ministers, he said.

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