Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury on Tuesday denied reports about an alliance between his party and Bharatiya Janata Party in West Bengal’s Nadia district. Media reports had claimed that the two Opposition parties had allied to defeat the ruling Trinamool Congress in the panchayat elections.

Yechury took to Twitter to refute the rumours. “Utter lies and rumours spread by the Trinamool Congress to distract from the violence it has unleashed on the Left Front cadres,” Yechury said of the reports. “We categorically deny any such understanding and remain opposed to both the BJP and TMC.”

“Yes, there have been adjustments at the grassroot level,” PTI had quoted CPI(M) Nadia district secretary and state committee member Sumit De as saying earlier in the day. “In many seats as the villagers had wanted a one-to-one fight, we had to respect it and act accordingly. But it is not that there have been several rounds of discussions between parties and it is a formal seat sharing adjustment.”

BJP’s north Nadia unit president Mahadeb Sarkar said that it was a one-off incident. “In some seats where we could not field candidates, our workers at the grassroots level have extended support to independent candidates,” he said. “In most cases, these independent candidates are actually CPI(M) workers.”

Calcutta HC allows filing of nominations through e-mail

The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday directed the West Bengal State Election Commission to accept the valid nominations of candidates who had sent their poll nominations via email, PTI reported. The CPI(M) has submitted a list of over 800 candidates, claiming that the Trinamool Congress prevented them from filing nominations.

The elections have been mired in controversy. Several clashes have been reported between BJP and Trinamool Congress workers. Other Opposition parties have also accused the ruling party of preventing their candidates from filing their nominations.