NEW DELHI: As the Opposition parties are discussing regional alliances to take on the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the CPI is taking a lead in stitching alliances with the Congress in several states. But the leadership of Left Front ‘big brother’ CPI-M is none too pleased. They feel early alliances could give the CPI an upper hand and a chance to improve its performance compared to last general elections.
The CPI had won just one seat in the 2014 elections while the CPI-M had bagged nine. In the 140-member Kerala Assembly, where the Left is in power, the CPI-M has 58 MLAs while the CPI has 18. The CPI-M was formed after a division in the CPI in 1964 following differences.
The political resolution adopted by the CPI-M in its 22nd Party Congress in Hyderabad in April this year says the party cannot have a “political alliance with the Congress”. There is a rift between party leadership even on electoral understanding with the Congress before the 2019 general elections.
The CPI, meanwhile, is already in talks with the Congress in Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to have alliances before 2019. CPI general secretary S Sudhakar Reddy has clearly said that his party will have alliances with the Congress wherever possible.
“There is definitely concern among party leadership over the CPI going for early alliances as there is a feeling that this will favour the CPI in getting more votes that could translate into seats and the party improving its tally in Lok Sabha,” said a CPI-M source.
In the recent Lok Sabha bypolls in UP and Assembly elections in Karnataka, the Left parties gave a call to their supporters to vote for the strongest candidate on seats they were not contesting to defeat the BJP.
“The Opposition getting into alliances at states is surely going to help them with consolidation of votes, which otherwise would get divided. Any party getting into pre-poll understanding is likely to benefit,” said Sanjay Kumar, director of Centre for the Study of Developing Societies.
Different routes
The Communist Part of India (CPI) had won just one seat in the 2014 elections while the Communist Part of India- Marxist (CPI-M) had bagged nine
The CPI is already in talks with the Congress in Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to have alliances before 2019 even as CPI-M is yet to decide when it came to ties with Congress .