The meeting of the Left Parties held here today to select names for five Rajya Sabha seats was inconclusive as the Forward Bloc refused to give up one of the seats held by it to Communist Party of India (CPI).
Kolkata, March 6 : The meeting of the Left Parties held here today to select names for five Rajya Sabha seats was inconclusive as the Forward Bloc refused to give up one of the seats held by it to Communist Party of India (CPI).
After the conclusion of the meeting, Ashok Ghosh, the Forward Block State Secretary said: "My party would not give up the seat of sitting Rajya Sabha member Barun Mukherjee, whose term ends in 2012. "
At present the CPI does not have a representation in the Rajya Sabha and it has demanded for a "sure" seat for its all India General Secretary Debabrata Biswas.
The CPI (M) and the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) have demanded that Mukherjee should resign to accommodate CPI.
Left Front Chairman and CPI (M) State Secretary Biman Bose said the Left Parties would meet again on March 13 and try to arrive at a consensus. "Left Front has always fought the Rajya poll on the basis of a consensus. We want to fight the poll this time too on the basis of a consensus," he added.
Polls to five Rajya Sabha seats are due in Bengal on March 26. The terms of three Rajya Sabha MPs of the CPI (M) will be expiring.
Today's meeting was attended by the top leaders of the partners, which saw division in the so-called mini front of the FB, RSP and CPI.
ANI