Ghulam Nabi Azad says BJP-led alliance, a sinking ship

Bhubaneshwar/Thiruvananthapuram/Kolkata, Mar 4 (ANI): Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad has termed the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) as a sinking ship.

"BJP has already sunk and become an untouchable in real sense. No political party in any part of the country is coming forward. All anti-Congress parties prefer to go with the Third Front," said Azad in Bhubaneshwar.

In Thiruvananthapuram, the Congress said it would target the state's ruling communist-led coalition's policies.

"We are raising two important issues. One is achievements of the UPA, and we are projecting the achievements of the UPA Government. On the other side, we are projecting the failures of the Left Government in Kerala," said Kodikunnil Suresh, office bearer of the Central ruling party's decision making All India Congress Committee. Meanwhile, the Communists who rule three states, have on Tuesday announced details of seat sharing in two states (Kerala and West Bengal).

"Two seats have been left undecided. It will be decided later. We discussed about the rest of the seats and out of that in Ponnai constituency an independent will be contesting. This was one of the four seats contested by the CPI. But this time, an independent will contest the election from here," said Vaikom Viswan, convener of Kerala state's Left Democratic Front.

The state sends 21 MPs to Parliament. The Communist-led Left Front won 20 seats last time.

In West Bengal, the state's ruling Left Front released the list of 42 candidates for all the constituencies at stake.

The list included the name of three state ministers and 18 new faces.

"We have changed only eighteen candidates. Eighteen candidates are new and that cannot substitute for 50 percent," said Biman Bose, state secretary of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M).

CPI-M will field 31 seats, whereas other allies Forward Bloc and RSP four each, while Communist Party of India (CPI) will field their candidates in three seats. (ANI)