Kolkata: Contrary to the decision taken at the Hyderabad party congress, the CPM has entered into an understanding with the BJP in three Bengal districts for the panchayat elections. Both parties have formed grassroots level tie-ups in Midnapore, Nadia and Birbhum districts. Midnapore includes the Nandigram area. Several graffiti have appeared on walls in these places displaying the BJP’s lotus and CPM’s symbol hammer-sickle-star together.

The 22nd congress of the CPM in Hyderabad, had decided to agree to an "understanding" with the Congress as proposed by the party general secretary Sitaram Yechury.

Despite the decision to join opposition forces in tackling BJP, the CPM in Bengal decided to join hands with the saffron party to take on their common enemy, Trinamool Congress. While in some grama panchayats, the BJP has not put up its candidates, in other grama panchayats, CPM has not fielded its representatives. The situation is not different in panchayat samithies – block panchayats – also.

Meanwhile, Kerala has been witnessing numerous political murders as a result of the rivalry between the CPM and the RSS workers. Hence, the decision to join forces in Bengal has left both the party workers red faced. Both the CPM and BJP leadership in Kerala are maintaining silence regarding the tacit understanding in West Bengal.

The Bengal wing of CPM and BJP say that it is due to the high-handedness of the Trinamool that they were not contesting in many seats. Both parties feel that they can counter the Trinamool threat by supporting each other. It is alleged that Trinamool workers had prevented members of other parties from even submitting their nomination papers.

The CPM-BJP understanding is in place at 61 grama panchayats and 15 samithies in Birbhum district. In certain panchayats, CPM and BJP are jointly supporting independent candidates.