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Thursday, Nov 12, 2009
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Left Front minister favours early polls

Indrani Dutta

KOLKATA: A minister belonging to a party which is a constituent of the ruling Left Front on Wednesday came out in favour of early polls in West Bengal following the latest electoral reverses in Assembly by-elections.

Fisheries Minister Kironmoy Nanda of the West Bengal Socialist Party told reporters at the Secretariat that the people’s verdict had gone against the Left Front and it was essential to seek it afresh.

‘Accept debacle’

“We need to accept the debacle and go for an early poll to seek people’s mandate,” he said, adding that this should have been done right after the 2009 Lok Sabha polls.

Mr. Nanda said that if the Left loses it would sit in the Opposition.

A minister belonging to another Left Front constituent, Kshiti Goswami of the RSP, however differed with his Cabinet colleague saying that this might be Mr. Nanda’s personal opinion. “We need to review the entire situation arising out of the steady erosion of the Left Front’s strength but I do not think going for an early poll is the right way,” he said.

Any sudden dissolution of government would create trouble all round,” he said.

In the normal course West Bengal is scheduled to go for Assembly polls in 2011 although Mamata Banerjee, the chairperson of the main Opposition party, the Trinamool Congress, has been pressing for invocation of Article 356 and resignation of the Chief Minister after the latest poll reverses.

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