LF leaders express concern at infighting over candidates in WB

Kolkata, Mar 9: Major Left Front constituents - RSP and Forward Bloc - have expressed concern over infighting in their parties following selection of candidates in the poll-bound West Bengal.

"It is very unfortunate that some of us are afflicted by the vestiges of Congress culture. However, we are determined to nip in the bud such indiscipline, which cannot be tolerated in Left parties," senior RSP leader Manoj Bhattacherjee told PTI.

His comment followed ransacking of a party office at Alipurduar by a section of party supporters after a senior leader and PWD minister Kshiti Goswami was selected to contest from the constituency in north Bengal place of sitting party MLA Nirmal Das.

In the 2006 Assembly polls, the RSP warhorse was fielded from Dhakuria, which this time stood abolished because of delimitation, prompting his party to shift him to a ''safe'' seat Alipurduar.

Party supporters indulged in a similar act in Nadia district yesterday. The supporters, reportedly close to a local leader, allegedly vandalised a branch committee of the party near Palashi police outpost, opposing the renomination of sitting party MLA Dhananjoy Modak.

Similar discontent surfaced in the Forward Block, which finalised the list of candidates for 34 seats, dropping nine legislators.

PTI