Sources said the decision was taken following the Bloc’s poor performance in the Tripura Assembly elections. The party was also forced to seek CPM support to ensure a Rajya Sabha berth for its general secretary Debabrata Biswas.

Senior Forward Bloc leader, Hafiz Ali Sairani, said, “We will explain our stand at a press conference on Sunday. We held a meeting today to chalk out future plans and will be flexible, depending on the changing political scenario.”

Sources said Forward Bloc may now be seen toning down its criticism of the state government and intensifying efforts to improve relations with the CPM. Party leaders maintained that Bloc should not be viewed on the same lines as Opposition parties like the Trinamool Congress.

Over the last year, the rift between Forward Bloc and CPM had increased over issues like Nandigram, acquisition of agricultural land for industry and Dinhata police firing incident.

At its state council meeting in Bolpur last November, Bloc decided to contest the panchayat polls in the state alone. As a test, it also contested 15 seats against the CPM in the Tripura Assembly polls. However, the strategy backfired and it suffered huge losses.