Lakshman Seth (left), Alokesh Das

Calcutta, Jan. 11: The CPM is likely to drop at least one sitting parliamentarian from the list of candidates for the coming general elections and shift some others from their existing seats.

The proposed tweak, at an incipient stage now and intended at polishing the image of the CPM in the wake of successive setbacks in panchayat elections and Assembly bypolls, could affect Haldia strongman Lakshman Seth if his critics in the party have their way.

Opinion has not crystallised yet whether Seth, blamed for letting the Nandigram land backlash spin out of control and become a national issue, should be denied a seat or asked to shift from Tamluk which he represents now in the Lok Sabha.

Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and party state secretary Biman Bose discussed the damage-control measures with CPM general secretary Prakash Karat on the sidelines of the central committee meeting in Kochi that concluded yesterday.

The party’s post-panchayat poll review had underlined the erosion in minority and backward-caste votes. The CPM may find it difficult to keep at least 10 seats in south Bengal, especially in East Midnapore and South 24-Parganas.

“Already, there are demands for change in the status quo from within to combat anti-incumbency. These include demands for new faces in many constituencies as well as in the party organisations,’’ said a state secretariat member. The party would like to field “young, energetic” leaders with a “clean image” and the “ability to deliver in Parliament”, he said.

The churning for candidate selection will begin from the third week of January after the state committee meeting scheduled for January 16-17.

Keeping in mind the possibility of a backlash from well-entrenched MPs like Seth, the leadership will try to generate the “demands (for change) from the district committees first”.

One MP who may face trouble in retaining his berth is Alokesh Das, who represents Nabadwip. He has already been removed from the state committee and district secretariat for “anti-party activities”.

Mohammad Salim, the deputy leader of the CPM in the Lok Sabha, may contest from Calcutta south this time in a direct clash with Trinamul chief Mamata Banerjee. Salim represents Calcutta north-east now.

Salim’s change of constituency is still in “the realm of speculation”, a party source said. The reason for the buzz is delimitation that has brought the number of city constituencies down from three to two. With minority-dominated areas of Calcutta north-east now included in south, the CPM may turn to Salim to win the seat.

The party is also weighing the option of sending Nilotpal Basu, the former Rajya Sabha MP and an articulate party leader, to the Lower House “if there is no major clash with his responsibilities as the party central secretariat member in Delhi”, a CPM leader said.

In its initial analysis of the bypolls, the CPM leadership admitted loss of around 10 per cent votes in Nandigram in comparison to the panchayat polls last May but it refused to accept that the erosion was “minority-specific”. “Both the Jamiat and the BJP lost their deposits. With Muslims comprising 35 per cent of Nandigram’s population, the Left still bagged 38 per cent of total votes,’’ a CPM leader said.