Calcutta: Bengal CPM on Tuesday announced its decision to go for an "official alliance" with the Congress and other secular forces for panchayat polls, marking a shift from its much-debated national stand of equidistance from the Congress and the BJP.

CPM state secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra, at the end of a two-day state committee meeting, said his party was open to joining hands with secular forces to strengthen the fight against Trinamul and the BJP.

"We want to join hands with all secular forces, including the Congress, and support them in panchayat polls wherever the CPM is not strong enough," Mishra told a news conference at Alimuddin Street here.

Although CPM candidates often formed alliances with other parties at local levels in panchayat polls, this is the first time that the party is officially talking about an alliance with the Congress for the rural polls.

Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member Pradip Bhattacharya said all alliance possibilities did exist in panchayat polls, where understandings were sealed at local level.

With the formal declaration, the Bengal CPM deviated from the central leadership's decision against tying up with the Congress, which proved disastrous for the Left in the Assembly polls last year.

Sources present at the meeting said Mishra's only rider for such alliance was that the Congress candidate his party supported should be trustworthy enough not to defect to Trinamul after winning the polls.

"It is you (district leaders) at the local level who have to take a call on the trustworthiness of candidates of other parties, including the Congress," Mishra was quoted as saying.