This year West Bengal's ruling Left Front will start mobilising cadres for the general elections with a rally in Kolkata February 8, hoping it will not suffer the reverses of the panchayat polls during the last year.

State Left Front chairman Biman Bose announced on Thursday that the rally will be held at the sprawling Brigade Parade Ground.

Bose informed reporters at the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI(M)) headquarters on Alimuddin Street in Kolkata, “We will hold a rally at the Brigade Parade Ground February 8 to make our party cadres gear up for the coming Lok Sabha elections.”

“We will also start our campaign soon, taking into account that elections will be held on time.”

The Lok Sabha elections are expected to be held in April-May when the five-year term of the current Lok Sabha ends.

Bose further told that the Left Front's performance in the state panchayat elections last year in May suffered due to lack of unity among coalition partners. The Left Front is led by the CPI(M).

Bose said, “But we have sorted out the differences to a great extent and will hold regular meetings to ensure that the Lok Sabha election results don't suffer like the panchayat elections.”

The Left Front suffered an erosion of its rural base in the panchayat elections, though it managed to retain its dominant position in 13 of the State's 17 districts.

Boss also told, “Party activists have unanimously decided to take all necessary steps to make the Left Front more active and ensure that district cadres work together.”

He further spook regarding the Nandigram area of East Midnapore district which has seen prolonged bloodletting between the communists and the opposition over land acquisition for industry.

Bose further said that he was pretty confident that results would be in their favour in Nandigram.

Bose said, “We are hopeful that if people at Nandigram are allowed to vote independently, without any pressure from the opposition, the results will be in favour of the Left Front. It's the opposition that tries to separate people from us by creating misunderstandings.”