Calcutta, Sept. 15: The Forward Bloc is adamant it would not change its candidate for the October 13 Shyampukur Assembly bypoll, Jiban Saha.

An urgent Left Front meeting was convened this morning in the CPM headquarters to prevail on the Bloc leadership, but to no avail.

CPM patriarch Jyoti Basu also failed to make Bloc state secretary Ashoke Ghosh change his mind.

?We shall stick to our decision. Saha has been declared a front nominee for the Shyampukur seat and it is not possible to replace him with a fresher,? Ghosh said.

Front chairman Biman Bose described the situation as ?unprecedented? and said another meeting would be held on September 20 to discuss the ?controversial issue?. He said Saha?s name was announced after the Bloc suggested it.

Bloc sources said a section of its leaders prefers trade union leader Nihar Roy Chowdhury. They might have approached the Calcutta District Left Front, which yesterday requested the Bloc to change Saha.

?Saha has become a victim of intra-party squabbles. We should not get involved,? said a senior CPM leader.