Bengal assembly polls: Cong, Left decide to contest 77 seats they won in 2016

The Congress and the Leftparties on Monday decided that in the upcoming West Bengalassembly elections, they will contest the seats they had wonrespectively in the 2016 polls.

The Left-Congress alliance in 2016 had won 77 seats,out of which the Congress had emerged victorious in 44.

''Today we have decided that we will keep therespective 44 and 33 seats that the Congress and the Left hadwon in 2016. On the remaining 217 seats, the talks are on,senior Congress leader Pradip Bhattacharya said at a jointpress conference.

He expressed hope that the seat-sharing arrangementwill be completed by the end of this month.

West Bengal Left Front Chairman and CPI(M) Politburomember Biman Bose, who was present at a meeting in which thedecision was taken, said that discussions were also held onjoint campaigning.

Elections to the 294-member state assembly are likelyto be held in April- May this year.