CPM state secretary Md Salim is set to contest as the Congress-backed Left Front candidate from the Murshidabad parliamentary seat, where elections will be held in the third phase on May 7.

Confirming Salim’s candidature in Murshidabad, CPM sources told The Telegraph that his name had been decided on at a Left Front meeting held on Friday to finalise the second list of candidates which was expected to be released on Saturday.

Abu Taher Khan of the Trinamul Congress won the seat in 2019 and has been renominated this time. From 1980 to 2004, the Murshidabad seat was represented in the Lok Sabha by CPM MPs Syed Masadul Hossain (five terms) and Moinul Hassan (two terms).

The Congress has a strong presence in the constituency which party leader Abdul Mannan Hossain represented in the Lok Sabha from 2004 to 2014.

“Yes, Salimda will be the CPM’s candidate from Murshidabad and his name was finalised after the Congress offered its support. By the end of this week, Salimda is expected to reach Murshidabad to launch his campaign,” a CPM leader, who did not want to be named, said.

Releasing its first list of eight candidates on Thursday, the Congress left the Murshidabad seat free while renominating Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury from Berhampore and fielding Md. Murtoja Hossain from Jangipur. The minority-dominated district has three parliamentary constituencies — Murshidabad, Berhampore and Jangipur.

When told that the CPM was going to field Salim from Murshidabad, Chowdhury welcomed the move.

“It’s a good choice. As our understanding with the Left is on track, the Congress will work to ensure the victory of the candidate the CPM decides to field from the Murshidabad seat,” Chowdhury said.

Despite the support of the Congress, it will be a tough battle for Salim as the CPM’s vote share has dropped significantly since the party last won the seat, said a CPM leader in Murshidabad.

Salim’s plunge into parliamentary politics began in 1990 when he represented the CPM in the Rajya Sabha for two consecutive terms till 2001. A two-term Lok Sabha member, Salim lost from Raiganj in 2019. In 2021, he contested the Chanditala Assembly seat in Hooghly but was defeated.

CPM sources said although the party had managed to stitch a deal with the Congress for the Murshidabad seat, problems persist over a few constituencies from where the Grand Old Party wanted to contest as Front partners were not ready to vacate.

“We are hopeful of getting past all hurdles,” Salim said when asked about the Purulia seat that the Congress and the Forward Bloc wanted to contest from.

Additional reporting by Alamgir Hossain