Raiganj, March 16: Leaders of the Left Front and the Congress in North Dinajpur sat together today and vowed to defeat Trinamul in all nine Assembly segments in the district although Islampur has become stumbling block to the electoral understanding to take on the ruling party.
While Congress municipality chairman, Kanhaialal Agarwal, is laying claim to the seat, the Left Front has fielded Mojammad Arshad of the Janata Dal (United).
According to Congress and Left sources, talks were on to resolve the issue.
Trinamul has announced Chowdhury Abdul Karim's name for the seat.
Today, after the joint meeting, Congress district president and sitting MLA, Mohit Sengupta, said: "We had a very fruitful meeting and our target is to defeat Trinamul in all nine seats across North Dinajpur. There is a problem with Islampur but we are confident of solving it."
He added: "We will not allow the alliance to suffer anywhere. Our workers and those of the Left will campaign jointly. It will be nine out of nine for the alliance."
While the Left has announced its candidates for six seats in the district, the AICC had sent names of three candidates for Raiganj, Kaliaganj and Goalpokhar seats yesterday.
Today, apart from Sengupta, district CPM secretary Apurba Pal, district Forward Bloc secretary Gokul Roy, CPI district secretary Samar Bhowmick and former Itahar MLA and minister in the Left Front government Srikumar Mukherjee also attended the meeting.
A series of joint campaigns were announced and Sengupta, Pal and Mukherjee wrote few poll graffiti together in Bidrohi More area of town.
North Dinajpur will vote on April 17.
Pal said there will be a " maha michhil" (grand rally) in Raiganj on March 21. "Our joint rally will signal the district-wide campaign. We will ensure that Trinamul is wiped out from the district," he said.
Trinamul leader in charge of Raiganj, Tilak Chowdhury, scoffed at the development. "These same leaders engaged in mudslinging not so long ago. The public will give a fitting reply to this charade," he said.
In the 2011 Assembly elections, the Left Front had won three seats, the Congress bagged four and Trinamul got two. Later, two Congress MLAs from Goalpokhar and Chopra switched to Trinamul.
