The Congress has given up its claim on the Raiganj and Murshidabad seats, lifting the hurdle to a seat-sharing agreement with the Left Front in Bengal for the general election.
Sources said the final decision was conveyed from Rahul Gandhi’s office after he held several rounds of talks within his party and with CPM leader Sitaram Yechury on Friday.
The sources said the formal announcement on the seat-sharing arrangement would be made in a matter of days.
The Congress is expected to contest 17 seats, including Behrampore, Jangipur, Malda North and Malda South, which it had won five years ago. The Left Front will field candidates in 25 seats, including Raiganj and Murshidabad.