People's Democracy

ASSEMBLY BY-ELECTIONS

LF Confident Of Retaining The Seats

B Prasant

THE recent weeks have witnessed a strong campaign launched for the Left Front candidates in the three Assembly seats that due to go to the polls on October 9. The Left Front has appealed to the people to ensure massive win for the LF candidates in all the three seats that had belonged to the Left Front. The winning LF candidates subsequently went on to win Lok Sabha seats and thus the seats fell vacant and the need for by-election arose.

In the 2001 Assembly elections, Mohd Salim (CPI-M) had won from Entally, Sudhangsu Sil (also CPI-M) had won from Jorabagan, and Subrata Basu of the Forward Bloc had won from Shyampukur. Subsequently, Mohd Salim won the Kolkata northeast and Sudhangsu Sil, the Kolkata northwest seats in the Lok Sabha polls. Subrata Basu won the Barasat Lok Sabha seat.

With the three Lok Sabha wins, the Left Front workers have certainly gained in confidence about the depth of popular support. The campaign for the by-polls has been strong and wide-ranging. Door-to-door campaigns have been on the upswing. Posters, graffiti, and banners in support of the three LF candidates have appeared all over the constituencies.

In Entally, the LF candidate is Abu Sufiyan. Parimal Biswas of the CPI(M) runs from the Jorabagan seat. Jiban Saha of the Forward Bloc is the LF candidate from Shyampukur.  The Kolkata units of the Left Front and the CPI(M) are optimistic of sweeping all three seats. (INN)