Suri, March 8: Around 80 CPM and Congress supporters today walked side by side in a procession in support of a CPM candidate in Birbhum.

The joint campaign was held for Arup Bag, 55, the CPM candidate for Mayureswar who is contesting an Assembly election for the first time.

Although the CPM has publicly said there would not be any joint campaigns, both parties have been coordinating at the ground level ever since the understanding began taking shape.

While releasing the list of candidates for 116 seats yesterday, Left Front chairman Biman Bose had said at a news conference: "We are entering into an understanding with the Congress as they also believe in our call to rid Bengal of Trinamul and the country of the BJP. There will, however, be no joint campaign or sharing of platform. But if there is an attack, there will be joint protests without party flags."

This afternoon, Bag, a district secretariat member and former zonal committee secretary, reached the CPM-dominated Mahulara village along with his supporters, shouting the party slogan " inquilab zindabad". Several Congress workers chanting "vande mataram", a slogan often used by the Congress, Trinamul and the BJP, joined the procession.

"I was surprised to see the Congress workers join us and urge voters to elect the jote (alliance) candidate. I had never imagined that Congress workers would raise slogans in my favour," Bag said.

The Congress workers who joined the march said CPM cadres had informed them about Bag's visit to the village. The workers of both parties campaigned in several villages.

In the 2011 Assembly elections, the CPM's Asok Ray had won the seat against the alliance candidate of Trinamul and the Congress.

Asked about the joint campaign, state Congress president Adhir Chowdhury said there were "no untouchables" in politics.

"We are fighting the polls following an understanding. Pressure from the ground level forced both the Congress and the CPM to come together. If the people demand, Biman Bose and Adhir Chowdhury will share the dais," Chowdhury said at a news conference this evening at Bidhan Bhavan, the state Congress headquarters.

In Suri, Birbhum, cadres have painted wall graffiti introducing CPM nominee Ramchandra Dom as the "alliance candidate".

"The Left Front has nominated me but the fact remains that other secular and democratic parties are also supporting me. They are against the ruling establishment. That is why I have been referred to as a jote prarthi (alliance candidate)," former MP Dom said.

Sayed Siraj, the Congress's district president, said party workers were "enthused" by the electoral understanding and supporters of both parties were "spontaneously" taking part in joint rallies.

"We cannot stop them. The leadership has decided to go for a one-to-one fight with Trinamul and our supporters are trying to ensure that," he said.

Manasa Hansda, the CPM's Birbhum secretary, echoed Siraj.