KOLKATA: The CPI(M) has fielded 40 young members of the Red Volunteer (RV), an organisation which was on the streets to help the people in distress during the Covid-19 pandemic, in the upcoming Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) election.
The decision to engage the RV members in the poll fray is said to be tactical as the organisation earned the trust of common people by providing round-the-clock service, right from arranging oxygen cylinders and medicines to hospitalising Covid patients and sanitising houses. The party has decided to ride on the “good-will” of its young brigade in the upcoming election to 144 wards of the civic body. Even though the CPI(M) has left 17 seats vacant for Congress, the national party is not happy with it and is likely to field candidates in more wards.
“Giving RV members tickets in the KMC polls is recognition of their services. We find the faces of RV volunteers will be the perfect selection as they have been in touch with people in distress at grassroots level,” said a CPI(M) leader.
In the recent Assembly elections, the CPI(M) had proposed to field RV volunteers. “However, the party’s internal equations did not allow them to contest. Had the RV volunteers been allowed to contest, our performance would have been better,” said the leader.
Sources in the CPI(M) said the RV volunteers built strong public relations. “Performance of these young faces in the civic poll will definitely be better than our other workers. They served people irrespective of political colour. It sent a positive message among the common people,” said another CPI(M) leader.