Tamluk/Calcutta, April 26: The chief minister cut a lonely figure as he kicked off his panchayat election campaign today, with the CPM’s partners giving the “Left Front” rallies a miss.

Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee addressed public meetings in East Midnapore’s Egra and Heria. The district will go to polls on May 11 along with West Midnapore, Bankura, Purulia and Burdwan.

“Despite our (the CPM’s) efforts, there is a lack of unity among front partners over sharing of seats in the district,” Bhattacharjee said at the Egra rally. “But I have full faith in your judgement.”

All three allies have pitted candidates against CPM nominees in East Midnapore. Of the 3,544 seats in the district, the CPM has put up candidates in 2,969. It is supporting Independents or Democratic Socialist Party candidates in the other seats.

In Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri, the CPM is yet to reach an understanding with the Bloc. At Basanti and Gosaba in South 24-Parganas, the RSP has locked horns with it.

Bloc state secretary Ashok Ghosh justified the district leadership’s decision to skip Bhattacharjee’s rallies. “We cannot share a platform with the CPM where we have no electoral understanding with the party,” he said in Calcutta.

RSP leader Kshiti Goswami said the snub was in “protest against the CPM’s big brotherly attitude”.

At Heria, about 50km from Egra, the chief minister iterated that the government would not acquire land in Nandigram for a chemical hub.

Uncontested seats

The number of seats won uncontested in panchayat polls 2008 has gone down by about 3,500 in comparison with the 2003 elections. Nearly 6,500 seats had been declared uncontested five years ago.

A CPM leader said the drop rebuts the Opposition’s allegation of CPM intimidation during filing of nominations.