The Left Front on Friday announced a “partial list” of 25 Lok Sabha candidates for Bengal, keeping the door ajar for more seat-sharing talks with the Congress.

After a meeting of Left partners, Front chairman Biman Bose issued a statement that contained the 25 names, their constituencies and the possibility of friendly contests with the Congress.

The Forward Bloc, RSP and the CPI will contest their nine traditional seats. “The Front partners used to get 10 seats, but this time, the RSP agreed not to put up a candidate from Behrampore to honour seat-sharing with the Congress, which will field Adhir Chowdhury,” said a source.

Amid questions on why a partial list was announced, sources in the Left said the CPM and the Congress were working to reach a consensus on seat sharing.

Bose’s statement, however, hinted that the Left was prepared for all eventualities. “Of the 17 (remaining) seats, some will be contested by the Congress and the rest by the Left parties.”

Although the Congress and the Front have been keen to seal the seat-sharing, the talks have hit roadblocks in the past few days. “There have been occasions when it looked like the end of the road for seat sharing…. But the prospect was revived as both sides want it,” said a CPM source.

Sources said a major hurdle was the Bloc’s reluctance to give up Purulia and the CPI Basirhat even as the Congress wanted its nominees. “Therefore, the possibility of friendly fights,” said a source.

Dev, actor and Trinamul’s Ghatal MP who has been renominated, congratulated his CPM rival Tapan Ganguly on the nomination. “Whoever of us wins or loses, we will together stand by the people of Ghatal in times of joy and sorrow,” Dev tweeted.