By IANS,
Kolkata : West Bengal’s ruling Left Front Tuesday admitted a new partner in its fold and welcomed the Election Commission’s decision to hold six-phased assembly elections in the state.
The Workers Party was inducted into the Left Front after a meeting of its constituents Tuesday evening, Front chairman Biman Bose told reporters here.
The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)-led Left Front, which has been ruling the state uninterruptedly since 1977, would now have ten constituents including.
“For the last one-and-a-half years, the Workers Party was eager to join the LF. They said they have participated in all our programmes. We have also seen them take part in our meetings. So we have decided to include them in LF. Their leaders would attend the next LF meeting,” said Bose.
On the Election Commission announcing a staggered schedule, Bose said: “We have no problem so long as it ensures free, fair and peaceful polls.”
He said the Left Front would announce its list of candidates after finalising the names at a meeting of the constituents slated for March 15. The Front’s election manifesto will be published after March 15.
Taking a dig at Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee, Bose said she had several times claimed that the polls would be held “in October, November or December last year”. “If somebody gets up from her reverie and claims such things, this only shows that her party has no respect for democracy.”