No tie-up with CPM, ISF, Kabir to lead AIMIM, ‘small parties’ in 182 seats

Kolkata: Bharatpur MLA Humayun Kabir on Monday signalled the end of his alliance talks with CPM and ISF and claimed he will lead an alliance that would have AIMIM and six to seven smaller parties, to contest 182 assembly seats in Bengal.Speaking to reporters, the former Trinamool neta said: "The way Left Front chairperson Biman Bose, Salimbhai (CPM state secretary Md Salim) and (ISF chief) Nawsad Siddique are behaving, I don't think there will be an alliance with them. They want to field more candidates than what they deserve, based on vote percentage. What can I do? The more seats I leave for them, it will only help Trinamool in the long run. They do not have it in them to fight TMC. I have decided to contest in 182 seats with AIMIM and smaller parties."
Kabir added, "For the last 2 months, I tried my best to form an alliance. I met CPM netas and spoke to ISF. But they (ISF) are trying to be over-smart. Let them fight in one or two districts, along with CPM, where they have a base. It's their right. I have a right to fight as well. My party is in talks with smaller parties... we had a meeting on Sunday and 99% of the talks are complete. The next meeting will be on Feb 21. The parties I am talking to also include SDPI and Azad Samaj Party."Kabir also said he would field candidates against CM Mamata Banerjee in Bhowanipore and Suvendu Adhikari in Nandigram. TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said about Kabir, "Bengal assembly polls or the Lok Sabha polls are too small for a man of his stature. We would suggest that he should contest the next United Nations secretary-general's post."