Some of the tallest Comrades voting for Congress?

KOLKATA: Call it twist of fate, or, first in Communist history; the stalwarts in Communist Party of India Marxist must have voted in favour of Congress candidates today. That is if they voted in favour of the CPM-Congress alliance. Some of Bengal's biggest comrades including former chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, CPM MP and politburo member Mohammed Salim and Left Front Chairman Biman Bose are the voters of those seats which have Congress candidates.

Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee is a voter of Ballygunj constituency where the alliance has Krishna Debnath, a senior Congress leader as its candidate while Mohammed Salim is a resident of Bhawanipore where candidate for alliance is Deepa Dasmunsi, former Congress MP and wife of Priyaranjan Dasmunsi.

Ironically, Deepa Dasmunsi was his rival in 2014 Loksabha election. Salim defeated Dasmunsi by 1634 votes in Raiganj parliamentary constituency. Both the senior comrades--Bhattacharjee and Salim-- cast their votes today.

Meanwhile, Biman Bose, the chairman of Left Front cast his vote on April 21(IIIrd Phase). He is a voter of Chowrangi constituency where the alliance has fielded senior Congress leader and former MP Somen Mitra. Responding to the questions of media, Bose however said that he had voted in favour of alliance.

For former CPI (M) member and former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee too it was the same story. Although Chatterjee could not cast his vote on health grounds. in his constituency, Rashbehari, the alliance has yet again fielded a Congress leader—Ashutosh Chatterjee.

Comrade Brinda Karat is also a voter of south Kolkata, where Congress leaders were fielded by the alliance. However, she did not turn up here to cast her vote, said sources in CPM.

A senior CPM leader in a lighter mood said that the party will document this too and the Communist history will tell how and why the Comrades had to opt for an electoral alliance with their bitter rival Congress.