The CPI-M's Central Committee on Tuesday decided that party General Secretary Sitaram Yechury will not be fielded again as a Rajya Sabha candidate from West Bengal, observing that the party could not take support from the Congress.
"Sitaram Yechury will not be fielded as Rajya Sabha candidate. In fact, we can't field anybody else because we don't have the numbers and we don't want the support from the Congress as it is against our party line," said a party Politburo member on the condition of anonymity.
Even though the Communist Party of India-Marxist's West Bengal unit wanted to send Yechury for the third term to the Rajya Sabha, the Kerala unit was opposed to it.
Moreover, according to the party's norm, its leaders cannot have more than two terms in the Rajya Sabha.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi was also in favour of Yechury coming back to the upper house with her party's support.
The Left Front has 32 MLAs, including 26 of the CPI-M, in the West Bengal assembly, Congress has 44 MLAs. With Congress' support, Yechury would have been re-elected.
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The terms of six Rajya Sabha members from West Bengal including Yechury will end on August 18.
The Election Commission had announced polling for 10 Rajya Sabha seats, including from Gujarat and West Bengal will be held on August 8 and counting will be taken up the same day.
--IANS
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