6 Left parties reaches seat-sharing for Bihar polls

Patna, Sept 11: Six Left parties on Friday announced seat sharing among them for 221 out of 243 seats in Bihar and ruled out any truck with Samajwadi Party or NCP to forge a third front in the state elections.

State leaders of six parties of the Left block - CPI, CPI-M, CPI-ML, Forward Block, RSP and SUCI (C) - addressed a joint press conference to announce seat-sharing among them for five-phase Bihar poll.

State Secretary of CPI Satya Narain Singh told reporters as per agreement reached for 221 out of a total 243 seats of Bihar Assembly, CPI would contest 91 seats, CPI-ML 78, CPI-M 38, SUCI 6, Forward Block 5 and RSP 3.

"Decision about the rest 22 seats would be arrived soon," Singh flanked by Kunal, state Secretary of CPI-ML and Awdesh Kumar Singh of CPI-M, said.

The Left leaders discounted possibility of any truck either with SP and NCP and claimed the Left Block in itself would be the third force in Bihar. CPI had one MLA in the outgoing Bihar Assembly.

It had fought in alliance with JD(U) in the last general election in Bihar but drew a blank. Asked about criteria on which the seat-sharing formula was reached, Satya Narain Singh said it was based on performance in the 2010 Assembly election and strength of a left party in that constituency.

Arun Kumar Singh of SUCI (C) and Mahesh Prasad Sinha of RSP (Revolutionary Socialist Party) were also present.

The CPI leader said that the Left block comprising six parties has come up in Bihar like that in West Bengal and other parts of the country to ensure defeat of NDA and grand secular alliance of JD(U), RJD and Congress.

Kunal and Awdesh Kumar Singh said that the respective parties would now announce candidates separately within a week.

The CPI State Secretary informed national leaders of the six Left parties would campaign jointly in Bihar and the block would issue a joint agenda document for the poll.

PTI