The Congress central leadership on Monday constituted a four member committee headed by state chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury to hold talks with Left parties on seat sharing and chalk out plans to hold joint political programmes.

The development comes within a week of the Congress high command giving the state unit its “formal approval” to fight the Bengal polls in alliance with the Left Front.

Apart from Chowdhury, leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Abdul Mannan, MP Pradip Bhattacharya and MLA from Baghmundi in Purulia, Nepal Mahato, are members of the committee.

“The following committee has been constituted to hold talks with the Left parties regarding seat sharing and joint programmes for the West Bengal assembly election,” the notification issued by Bengal’s Congress minder Jitin Prasada states.

Chowdhury said on Monday: “We have already started talks with the Left parties and the high command has formed a specific committee to take forward the proposed pact with the Left Front.”

Sources said the formation of the committee led to confusion among a section of state Congress leaders who had already been tasked to hold talks with Left by Chowdhury.

“A few party leaders were working on the issue on the advice of Chowdhury. Now the question is whether the talks held so far will count after formation of the new committee?” said a senior Congress leader.

Bhattacharya, who is also part of the new committee, said he had met Left Front chairperson Biman Basu on Sunday and discussed issues related to the alliance.

Chowdhury, however, said: “It is not an issue at all as there was no specific committee and the leaders were holding talks with the Left parties on my behalf. Now, the newly formed committee will take forward the talks, while other leaders can place their suggestions.”

The state Congress unit has sent an invitation to the office of former party president Rahul Gandhi requesting him to visit Bengal to hold political programmes. However, the state leaders are yet to get any nod from Rahul’s office.

“We have invited him (Gandhi). However, we are yet to get his green signal,” said Chowdhury.

On the other hand, the Left Front is planning to hold a mega rally at Brigade Parade ground in February where CPM leaders want to show their strength jointly with Congress in presence of senior Congress leaders like Rahul Gandhi.

“However, the plan for the rally at Brigade is yet to be finalised,” said a source in CPM.

CPM candidates

The CPM state committee has in principle decided to reserve 60 per cent seats for candidates below the age of 40 years in the polls.

“It was decided that more young people need to be brought to forefront and hence CPM would give tickets to people below 40 years of age at 60 per cent of the seats,” a CPM leader present at the state committee meeting said.

Sources said the decision was pushed by leaders like former minister Kanti Ganguly and CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury.

“Yechury gave his own example and said that since CPM is the party of future and the only alternative, someone of his age cannot be the face of the party,” a source said.

The decision came in the backdrop of growing unemployment and lack of educational facilities in the country. "These are issues only the youth can identify with and hence the decision," the source added.

Twelve Left student and youth organisations have given a call to march to the state secretariat at Nabanna on February 11.