CPM calls absence from hill fray 'wrong' - Left to contest municipal polls: Jibesh

Jibesh Sarkar in Siliguri on Tuesday.(Kundan Yolmo)

TT, Siliguri, June 14: Jibesh Sarkar, the Darjeeling district CPM secretary, today said it was wrong on the part of the party not to field candidates in three hill Assembly constituencies and said the mistake wouldn't be repeated in municipal elections due in the region later this year.

The CPM admitted the mistake after the Trinamul Congress had emerged as the second largest political entity in the hills after the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.

"Ahead of the Assembly polls, we had decided not to field candidates in Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong. The idea was to prevent the division of anti-Trinamul votes. But now, we realise that the decision was wrong," Sarkar told a news conference here today.

A couple of days back, the CPM state committee, while analysing the Assembly poll results, had observed that it was incorrect on the part of the Darjeeling district unit to take such a decision.

"During the analysis, the state leaders made two observations. First, our absence from the fray in the three hill seats led to Trinamul's emergence as the second political force in the region. It is true that some other regional parties in the hills did not field candidates either. But there is no doubt that the vote share of Trinamul has increased in the hills in 2016 vis-à-vis the Lok Sabha polls in 2014. Second, as the Morcha is an ally of the BJP, which is one of our primary political opponents, the decision to stay away from the fray has not gone down well with CPM leaders and workers," said a CPM leader who didn't want to be named.

CPM insiders said the state secretary, Surjya Kanta Mishra, had categorically said before the polls that the party couldn't leave any space for the Morcha as it was an ally of the BJP.

"Even then, district leaders unilaterally announced that the CPM would not field candidates in the hills. It left a section of state leaders disappointed," said the CPM leader.

In 2014, Trinamul had secured 27,117 votes in Kalimpong, 29,426 in Darjeeling and 34,728 votes in Kurseong. In the Assembly polls this year, Trinamul grabbed 45,473 votes in Darjeeling and 53,221 votes in Kurseong.

The CPM supported Harka Bahadur Chhetri of the Jana Andolan Party in Kalimpong and he secured 56,262 votes.

Sarkar today said the CPM would contest the municipal polls in the hills later this year.

"Elections to four municipalities in the hills (Darjeeling, Kurseong, Kalimpong and Mirik) are due in November. We will field candidates in all the municipalities. We will also contest as and when the panchayat polls are held in the hills," said Sarkar.

He said the CPM couldn't say now if it would contest the civic polls jointly with the Congress.