‘Suppressed anger’ erupts in Left front as Forward Bloc nominates Panchanan Roy against CPM candidate

Signs of discord within the Left Front have surfaced in Cooch Behar North assembly constituency after the Forward Bloc fielded its own candidate against the CPM nominee. Earlier, the Left Front had announced Pranay Karji as the CPM candidate for the seat, but Forward Bloc leader Panchanan Roy has now submitted his nomination, bringing internal differences within the alliance into the open.

According to party leaders, resentment had been building among Forward Bloc workers since the candidate announcement. The party’s district leadership claimed that the CPM had repeatedly announced candidates from the constituency despite the presence of the Forward Bloc’s organisational base, which led to dissatisfaction among local supporters. Forward Bloc district president Deepak Sarkar said that the decision to field Panchanan Roy was taken due to pressure from party workers who were unhappy with the seat allocation. He added that if the party symbol is allotted, Roy will contest with it; otherwise, he may enter the fray as an independent candidate.

Meanwhile, CPM leaders have expressed concern over the development, stating that the Left Front had already taken a collective decision regarding the seat. District CPM secretary Ananta Roy indicated that the party may reconsider its strategy in other constituencies of the district if the Forward Bloc proceeds with a separate candidate.