Marxist top guns vote for Congress candidates

KOLKATA, April 30: The commissars of the CPI-M have not only stitched an alliance with the Congress for the West Bengal assembly polls, but several of their top leaders ended up exercising their right to vote in favour of their long-time foes.

Leading the bandwagon was former chief minister and Communist Party of India-Marxist stalwart Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, whose tural choice on Saturday was Krish Debth, the Congress nominee from Ballygunge constituency in south Kolkata.

For CPI-M politburo member Mohammed Salim, it was more dramatic.

He had won the 2014 Lok Sabha polls defeating Congress’ Deepa Dasmunshi in a keenly contested battle from Raiganj in North Dijpur district.

But on Saturday, he cast his vote for the same Dasmunshi who is contesting the West Bengal assembly polls as Congress nominee backed up the Left Front.

Taking on the might of Trimool Congress chairperson and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Deepa is contesting from South Kolkata’s Bhabanipur where Salim is enrolled as a voter.

Exuding confidence of the Left Front-Congress tie-up emerging victorious, Salim asserted that electoral battles are not persol fights.

“Political battles are neither persol fights nor do they mean persol enmity. Our politics is based on ideology with public welfare being the sole objective. This time the alliance was the call from the people of the state and I have to vote for the alliance,” said Salim after casting his vote.

But it was Left Front chairman and CPI-M politburo member Biman Bose who started the process on April 21.

Bose, known for his spartan lifestyle, lives in a small room at the CPI-M state headquarters Muzaffar Ahmed Bhavan, which falls under the Chowringhee constituency. The Left Front had lent support to the Congress candidate - the state’s veteran politician Somen Mitra - for the seat. (IANS)