Even as the Congress and the CPI (M)-led Left Front have entered into an electoral alliance for the upcoming urban local body elections in Agartala, CPI (M) leaders on Monday made it clear that no such alliance is likely in Kailashahar.
Candidates of the Left Front filed their nomination papers for all 17 wards of the Kailashahar Municipal Council of Unakoti district before Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) and Returning Officer (RO) Shantimoy Debbarma on Monday afternoon.
Before submitting their nominations, the Left Front organized a well-attended procession from the party office, with all 17 candidates accompanied by party workers and supporters. The rally passed through various parts of the town before reaching the SDM's office.
The procession was led by CPI (M) leaders Anjan Roy, Krishnendu Choudhury, Biswarup Goswami, women leader Anowara Begum, Mukta Das and several other senior party members.
The Left Front candidates who filed nominations are: Sabitri Sarkar (Deb) for Ward No. 1, Amita Bhattacharya (Chakraborty) for Ward No. 2, Ibrahim Ali for Ward No. 3, Nitish Ranjan Das for Ward No. 4, Shiuli Rani Das for Ward No. 5, Tapashree Pal (Dhar) for Ward No. 6, Rinku Dey (Dhar) for Ward No. 7, Robin Dutta Chowdhury for Ward No. 8, Rajib Basfur for Ward No. 9, Bishu Das for Ward No. 10, Sagar Bhattacharya for Ward No. 11, Debashree Malakar for Ward No. 12, Mousumi Das for Ward No. 13, Rani Das for Ward No. 14, Pratyajit Malakar (Bablu) for Ward No. 15, Swapna Malakar for Ward No. 16, and Bani Sinha and Prabhakar Sinha submitted nominations for Ward No. 17.
Speaking to reporters after filing the nominations, CPI(M) leader Anjan Roy said the Left Front has fielded candidates in all 17 wards and expressed confidence that the people of Kailashahar would support them against what he described as corruption and nepotism allegedly practiced by the BJP-led Municipal Council over the past several years.
Roy also said that, unlike in Agartala, the possibility of a Congress-Left alliance in Kailashahar is "almost non-existent." He claimed that no Congress leader had approached the CPI (M) leadership for alliance talks. Although the district Congress president reportedly interacted with grassroots CPI (M) workers after the election schedule was announced on October 30, Roy alleged that no discussion was held with the party's leadership.
He further stated that resentment remains among CPI (M) workers over the Congress' conduct following the 2023 Assembly elections and the 2024 Panchayat elections, when the two parties had contested together. According to Roy, Congress leaders allegedly used derogatory remarks against their alliance partner and took control of a Panchayat Samiti without informing the CPI (M), leading to widespread dissatisfaction among Left Front workers.
Considering the sentiments of party workers and supporters, Roy said the prospects of a Congress-Left alliance in the Kailashahar Municipal Council elections are extremely slim.