The Congress on Sunday released a list of three candidates leaving Left Front partners livid as the Grand Old Party has fielded a candidate from Ghatal, from where the CPI will be contesting.

Left Front chairperson Biman Bose had on Friday released names of five candidates, including CPI’s Tapan Ganguly for the Ghatal seat.

“The Congress is not behaving like a responsible party that wants to fight the BJP and Trinamul. They are showing little respect for Left Front partners. This is unacceptable.... Our state leadership will sit for a decision on the issue,” a livid CPI state secretary Swapan Bandopadhyay told The Telegraph on Sunday.

Adding to its earlier list of nine candidates, the Congress on Sunday announced three names — Pradip Biswas from Bongaon, Azahar Mollik from Uluberia and Papiya Chakraborty from Ghatal.

The Left Front had left Bongaon and Uluberia for the Congress. But the tussle over the Ghatal — which will go to polls on May 25 — is likely to intensify.

The unease between the two sides began with the Congress fielding a candidate for the Cooch Behar seat that the Left Front allotted to the Forward Bloc. The tussle intensified with the Forward Bloc refusing to give up its claim on the Purulia that the Congress wants to contest.

Finally, Bose announced that the Left Front would support the Forward Bloc in Cooch Behar and the Congress in Purulia.

Trouble is also brewing in another seat, Mathurapur. Bose on Saturday announced CPM’s Sarat Chandra Halder as its candidate for Mathurapur despite the Congress intending to contest the seat.

But the Ghatal impasse is a “major setback after an understanding with Nawsad Siddique’s ISF fell through”, said a senior CPM leader.

The Congress has also nominated Anju Begum as its candidate for the bypoll in the Bhagabangola Assembly seat where polling is scheduled on May 7.