HYDERABAD: With municipal elections approaching, uncertainty continues over whether the Congress and its ally, the Communist Party of India (CPI), will once again contest together, with seat-sharing emerging as the key hurdle in the urban civic polls.
Speaking to TNIE, CPI state secretary Kunamneni Sambasiva Rao said an electoral alliance was possible only if both parties were willing, but stopped short of confirming whether formal discussions were underway with the Congress leadership. He said any understanding would depend on mutual consent and clarity on terms.
While the CPI is not a dominant force across most municipalities and municipal corporations in the State, it retains significant influence in the Kothagudem Municipal Corporation of the erstwhile Khammam district. Sambasiva Rao represents the Kothagudem Assembly constituency in the State Legislative Assembly.
Responding to questions on alliance dynamics, he said any tie-up could not be confined to a single constituency or individual. “It is not that only I was given a ticket as part of an alliance and the rest of the party should remain silent,” he said, asserting that the CPI deserved proportional representation across elections.
Party sources recalled that the Congress government recently nominated a CPI leader to the Legislative Council under the MLA quota. During the 2023 Assembly elections, the Congress had ceded the Kothagudem seat to the CPI, a move that resulted in a victory for the Left party.
As the municipal polls draw closer, clarity on whether the Congress and CPI will formalise an understanding is keenly awaited.