Indian Secular Front (ISF) chairman Nawsad Siddiqui stated that there have been no discussions about forming an electoral alliance with Humayun Kabir’s Janata Unnayan Party (JUP). This clarification follows Kabir’s expressed interest in an alliance for the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections. Siddiqui recently visited the CPI(M) headquarters in Kolkata, where he engaged with Left Front leaders from the 2021 state Assembly polls.
Siddiqui emphasized that no formal proposal for an alliance has been presented to ISF. He mentioned that no discussions have occurred with any state committee members regarding this matter. Kabir had previously mentioned a potential collaboration with ISF and welcomed the AIMIM to join forces in Bengal politics.
In preparation for the upcoming elections, Siddiqui has initiated discussions for a possible electoral alliance with Left Front Chairman Biman Basu and West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee President Shubankar Sarkar. While the Congress response remains pending, Siddiqui received a positive response from Left leaders and engaged in discussions at their office in central Kolkata.
Siddiqui highlighted the commencement of alliance talks aimed at uniting anti-BJP and anti-Trinamool forces. He expressed ISF’s willingness to make concessions for the alliance’s success. Notably, in the 2021 Assembly elections, the United Front alliance of Left Front, Congress, and ISF secured only one seat for ISF, leading to the alliance’s dissolution during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
