By IANS,
Agartala : Tripura Chief Minister and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) politburo member Manik Sarkar is confident that the party’s strength in its citadel West Bengal would remain intact despite the Congress-Trinamool Congress alliance.
“The entire country has been looking into the result of West Bengal as the left parties’ result would boost the formation of a solid third front government at the Centre,” Sarkar was quoted by the party mouthpiece.
Sarkar said that the Congress can be an alternative to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) or vice versa but there was no alternative to the left parties.
“Only a third front government at the Centre minus Congress and BJP can solve the miseries of the people and prevailing problems of the nation,” he maintained.
After presiding over a cabinet meeting here, the 60-year-old leader, who was busy campaigning for the past two weeks in southern India and West Bengal, Friday left again for Kolkata to take part in a series of public meetings in Bengal before the last phase of elections May 13.
During his stay in Bengal, where elections would be held May 13 in the remaining 11 parliamentary constituencies, Sarkar would address seven public meetings and take part in a road show. Of West Bengal’s 42 seats, 14 went to the polls April 30 and 17 on May 7.
West Bengal has been sending the largest contingent of Left MPs over the years. Any dent in the left parties’ strength would affect their attempt to shape a Third Front government at the Centre. Of the 59 seats secured by the four left parties in the 2004 Lok Sabha polls, 35 seats were won from the state.