Left Blow To INDIA Unity? No Bengal, Kerala Tie-Ups, Say Sources

The CPM did not attend the INDIA coordination committee meeting last week; a seat was kept vacant in the 14-member panel.

In a predictable setback for the opposition bloc, the CPI-M has reportedly decided against alliances in Bengal and Kerala, where its main rivals are its INDIA partners Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool and the Congress.

Additionally, it has decided not to name any representative for coordination meetings of the anti-BJP front.

The CPM has, sources say, decided to maintain a distance from "both the BJP and the Trinamool" in Bengal, exposing the fault lines in the opposition alliance that aims to fight unitedly in an attempt to defeat the BJP in next year's national election.