The Left Front on Thursday announced its first list of 16 Lok Sabha candidates, leaving the door ajar for seat-sharing with the Congress amid efforts to retain ties with the ISF although Nawsad Siddique's party has laid claim to eight seats.

Naming the 16, including 14 new, at the CPM's Calcutta headquarters, Left Front chairperson Biman Bose said talks with INDIA partner Congress for seat-sharing in Bengal were on.

"We have announced names of candidates for 16 seats out of the 42 parliamentary constituencies in Bengal. If the Congress wants to enter into seat adjustments with the Left Front, we will not say no. But it is for them to come forward," Bose said.

Replicating the trend set in the 2021 Assembly polls, the Left list of candidates includes young faces Srijan Bhattacharya from Jadavpur, Dipsita Dhar from Srirampore, Saira Shah Halim from Calcutta South, Nirab Khan from Burdwan (East), Jahanara Khan from Asansol and lawyers Sayan Banerjee and Sabyasachi Chatterjee from Tamluk in East Midnapore and Howrah, respectively. However, former Jadavpur MP Sujan Chakraborty will contest from Dum Dum.

The sore point remains the Congress delay. Stating that CPM state secretary Md Salim was in talks with Congress state president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Bose admitted that talks were inconclusive so far.

As the Election Commission is set to declare the poll dates any day, the dithering has created some unease.

On how long the Left would wait for the Congress, Bose said: "We (Left Front partners) will sit in a meeting again on Saturday or Sunday. The Bengal Congress leaders are in Delhi meeting their leadership. Once they come back we may get to know their stand. Therefore, between today and our next meeting, there is time for the Congress (to resolve the issue)."

Speaking to The Telegraph on the sidelines of the news meet, Salim sounded confident.

"Things will mature soon. Rest assured, the outcome will be positive," Salim said. He added: "Wait and watch, there will be more parties joining us in this poll battle against the BJP and the Trinamul."

Chowdhury, however, said: "The two sides are yet to hold formal talks with me or at AICC leaders. I once spoke to Salimbhai. Talks have happened at the local level. Let's see how things pan out.... We don't claim that we have the organisational ability to fight all 42 seats. But we need to see who can fight from where to defeat Trinamul and the BJP. We will finalise our seats soon."

The Congress leader added: "There is no question of any understanding with Trinamul."

A senior CPM leader said there was an urgency now to finalise seat-sharing with the Congress so that the Left is not seen as a late starter.

The Congress central leadership, he added, had tried for long to ensure Mamata remained part of the INDIA bloc. Still, Mamata decided to fight the polls alone, leaving the Congress with two options — join hands with the Left or go solo.

ISF demand

The ISF's demand for eight seats, including Jadavpur, has also forced the CPM leaders to make tough negotiations. The CPM wants Nawsad to walk his talk of taking on Trinamul's second-in-command and sitting MP Abhishek Banerjee from Diamond Harbour. Among the eight it wants to contest, the ISF left out Diamond Harbour, but included Jadavpur.

The CPM on Thursday nominated Srijan Bhattacharya from Jadavpur, making it clear that it would not give in to the "ISF's tantrums".

"Bhangar (Nawsad's Assembly constituency) is only one of the seven Assemblies that make up the Jadavpur Lok Sabha seat. There are six other Assembly constituencies. Organisational ground realities have to be considered before taking such calls," Bose told The Telegraph, but also implied that lines of communication with the ISF were open.

ISF state general secretary Biswajit Maiti said: "We sent a list of eight seats which we wish to fight to the Left Front chairman. It includes Jadavpur. However, the scope for talks with like-minded parties is open. We have also made it clear that if (CPM leader) Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya fights from Jadavpur, we will withdraw the claim."

On Nawsad's earlier call to fight from Diamond Harbour, Maiti said: "The proposal is under consideration."