Friday, December 30 2005 15:50 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kolkata: Veteran Communist Party of India Marxist (CPI-M) Politburo member Jyoti Basu today (Dec 30, 2005) said opposition efforts to form a grand alliance against the ruling Left Front in the state prior to next year's assembly elections would be doomed and Buddhadev Bhattacherjee government would be voted to power once again.

"They (opposition) have no programmes. Their only job is to oppose the Left Front. Their efforts would not be successful", Basu who attended a weekly meeting of the state secretariat of CPI(M) told reporters in reply to questions on Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee's efforts to cobble together opposition parties to forge an anti-CPI(M) alliance for a one-to-one contest against the Marxists in West Bengal.

Asked about his expectations for the new year, Basu, a former West Bengal Chief Minister said " I want to see Left Front returning to power for the seventh consecutive term".

To another question, Basu said there were at present 80,000 vacancies in state government offices and it had been decided that 17,000 to 18,000 of them would be filled up. Besides about 20 to 25 teachers were required to be appointed, he said.

Only months before the Assembly elections, the West Bengal government today confirmed its decision to lift the 'total' ban on recruitments, saying it would now give appointments 'as and when necessary'.