Kolkata, Feb 6 (AHN) Despite the Congress’ decision to sever ties with the CPI(M)-led Left Front in West Bengal and contest the forthcoming Assembly elections independently in all 294 constituencies, the Left Front will continue its understanding with the All India Secular Front (AISF) this time as well.

Confirming this, CPI(M) state secretary in West Bengal and Politburo member Md Salim told mediapersons on Friday that the understanding with AISF is on and will continue in the Assembly polls this year.

“Previously, the AISF leadership communicated to us, expressing their interest in an understanding. Already, two rounds of meetings have been conducted on the matter. Now, talks are on relating to the seat-sharing arrangement,” Salim said.

However, he did not specify anything about the possibility of a similar understanding with the Janata Unnayan Party, the new political outfit floated by suspended Trinamool Congress legislator Humayun Kabir, despite reports of a recent closed-door meeting between the two.

“Since the day Kabir was suspended from the Trinamool Congress, he has been in touch with us, expressing his eagerness for an electoral understanding with the Left Front. But discussions may not necessarily result in an understanding. First, the matter will be discussed within the CPI(M) and then with other allies in the Left Front. The understanding will be finalised depending on the outcome of these discussions,” Salim said.

Salim’s statement comes a day after the Congress, on Thursday, announced its decision to contest independently in all 294 Assembly constituencies in West Bengal in the forthcoming polls, without any seat-sharing arrangement with either the CPI(M)-led Left Front or the Trinamool Congress.

Reacting to the Congress’ decision, Salim said it was clear from the beginning that any Left Front-Congress arrangement for the 2026 West Bengal Assembly polls would not be possible.

“It became evident since the new state Congress president in West Bengal never utters a single word against the Trinamool Congress,” he said.

Political observers, too, feel that a smooth seat-sharing arrangement for the 2026 Assembly polls had been inconceivable from the start.

The two main architects of the seat-sharing arrangement between the Left Front and the Congress since 2016 were former CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and former state Congress president in West Bengal and former five-time Lok Sabha member Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.

“After the demise of Yechury, there is not a single national leader in the CPI(M)’s central leadership who will be vocal in convincing the party leadership for an arrangement with the Congress. The same is true in the case of the Congress after Chowdhury was out of the party’s major decision-making ambit,” a city-based political observer said.