Left parties cold to proposal for alliance with NCP

In its gamble to revive its own political base in Bihar, the Left parties have given a cold shoulder to a proposal for alliance from Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

In its gamble to revive its own political base in Bihar, the Left parties have given a cold shoulder to a proposal for alliance from Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

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Disappointed over the seat-sharing formula of JD(U)-RJD-Congress alliance where the NCP was also a constituent, Pawar's party tried to switch over to the Left bloc which after a long time, has been able to rope in all six Leftist parties for an alliance.

"Senior NCP leaders had approached the central leaders of the CPM for a possible tie up. But we decided not to dive any direction to our state unit in this regard. Our state unit too, didn't find any merit in the alliance," said Hannan Mollah, CPM's politburo member.

Even as it is going through a rough patch in electoral politics, the CPM has decided to avoid the lure of poll alliances with non-Left parties.

"Our party's line is to strengthen the Left, democratic forces and revive our own strength in different states. Our experience says, alliances without ideological basis are meaningless," said Mollah.

The CPM has also refuted charges that fighting election as a separate bloc is creating a rift in the non-NDA vote bank.

Earlier this week, in HT Unplugged, party's politburo member Brinda Karat had said that 1+1 doesn't necessarily make 2 in politics.

"How long we should sacrifice efforts to build our independent strength in the name of opposition unity?" she said.