No discussion with Humayun Kabir’s party over electoral alliance in Bengal: ISF’s Nawsad Siddiqui
Kolkata: Indian Secular Front (ISF) chairman Nawsad Siddiqui on Sunday clarified that no discussions have taken place regarding an electoral alliance with suspended Trinamool Congress leader Humayun Kabir’s newly-launched Janata Unnayan Party (JUP).
The comments came a day after Kabir said that he wanted to enter into an electoral alliance with ISF for the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections.
Incidentally, Siddiqui visited the CPI(M) headquarters in Kolkata on Saturday and interacted with Left Front leaders who were in electoral alliance with ISF during the 2021 state Assembly polls.
Speaking to media persons, Siddiqui said, “No one has contacted us with such a proposal. No one has had any such discussion with any leader of our state committee. If anyone had discussed this matter verbally with any member of our party’s state leadership, they would have informed me. Therefore, I am unaware of any such news that Kabir’s party wants an alliance with us in the Assembly elections.”
On Saturday, Kabir said, “In future of Bengal politics, I and the ISF are joining forces. If AIMIM joins, they are welcome.”
Meanwhile, Siddiqui has once again started the groundwork for the upcoming Assembly elections and sent letters via email to Left Front Chairman Biman Basu and West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee President Shubankar Sarkar, seeking discussions on a potential electoral alliance this time as well.
While the Congress leadership at Bidhan Bhavan did not respond, Siddiqui received a positive signal from Left leaders and therefore went to its Alimuddin Street office in central Kolkata.
He spoke with Biman Basu, as well as CPI(M) state secretary Md Salim and senior leader Srideep Bhattacharya.
According to Siddiqui, “Alliance discussions have just begun. We want to unite the anti-BJP and anti-Trinamool forces. We discussed how to ensure the entire process runs smoothly. ISF is even prepared to make sacrifices for the sake of the alliance.”
In the 2021 Assembly elections in Bengal, the Left Front, Congress and ISF formed an electoral alliance, United Front. While Left and Congress drew a blank, ISF won just one Assembly seat. Siddiqui was the only candidate to win the election from the Bhangar Assembly constituency.
However, the alliance collapsed in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls when the parties decided to contest the election separately.
