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Forward Bloc backtracks from its decision to go alone in poll
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LOCALCORRESPONDENT on 30 March, 2008 02:45:00
 
Kolkata: Climbing down from its earlier stand, the Forward Bloc on Saturday
decided to contest as a Left Front constituent in the upcoming panchayat
elections rather than fighting it alone. The decision comes in the wake of the
party facing a complete rout in last month's Tripura assembly poll, where it
faced the election alone.
"The Forward Bloc discussed the issue at its state committee meeting on
Saturday and decided to contest as a Front constituent in the coming panchayat
elections instead of its earlier decision to go it alone," a Forward Bloc source
to the media person.
The leader, who did not want to be named, said that a formal announcement to
this effect would be made by the party state secretary Ashok Ghosh on Sunday.
However, party insiders said that the decision was resented by a section of the
leaders, who had been vocal about CPI(M)'s "big brotherly attitude" in running
the Left Front government.
The party, in a bid to assuage their feelings, had decided that the local
leaders, in areas which were party strongholds like Cooch Behar and Birbhum
districts, would decide on contesting polls depending on the situation.
Serious differences between the CPI(M) and FB had earlier surfaced over
different issues including the Nandigram conflagration, when the FB went public
accusing the Marxist party of running the Left Front "unilaterally ignoring" its
partners. (PTI)