The CPM plans to kick off its campaign with a rally at Brigade Parade Ground in February but dates are yet to be finalised, sources said. “Already, we are meeting our cadres at the grass-roots level, but it will take more time to rejuvenate them,” said a senior leader.

“We are trying to rejuvenate the party,” said Rabin Deb, senior CPM leader in Kolkata.

Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee will be constantly touring the districts to revive the party organisation and put the administration in action. Already, the CM has toured several districts of Hooghly, East and West Midnapore and Purulia.

Eighty-two municipalities will go to the polls in 2010 along with the KMC. The CPM has lost the key municipal corporations in Siliguri and Asansol, where the Left never suffered defeat since 1977 when they came to power in the state for the first time.

The defeat in the Asansol Municipal Corporation (AMC) to the combine of Trinamool Congress and the Congress sent shockwaves in the CPM leadership as Asansol is located in Burdwan district, which is still considered a Marxist stronghold.

The Trinamool Congress, on the other hand, is busy zeroing on its leader who would be projected as the would-be mayor of KMC. Kolkata has become a Trinamool bastion after the May Lok Sabha elections and recent Assembly bypolls.

Trinamool sources said a section of leaders is considering the name of Sudip Banerjee, party MP from Kolkata North Lok Sabha seat, as its mayoral candidate for KMC elections. The name of Partha Chatterjee, Opposition leader in the state Assembly, is also under consideration, sources said.

The Congress has decided to set up two committees with senior party leaders. One will look after the party’s preparation for the civic polls while the other will be formed exclusively for the KMC polls.

“We will hold a meeting probably next month to decide on the issue. As you know, we hold no direct talks with our Trinamool counterparts. We will send our recommendations to Pranab Mukherjee who will sort out the issue with the Trinamool,” said Pradip Bhattacharjee, working president of the state Congress.

Since the Congress has accepted the leadership of Mamata Banerjee for the Opposition coalition, it will not project anyone as the mayor for the KMC polls but is likely to bargain hard to get adequate number of seats.