The Hindu : CPI(M) releases first list

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Feb 28, 2004

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National

CPI(M) releases first list

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI. FEB. 27. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has decided to contest 70 seats in the coming general elections.

The party today released the first list, containing 32 names for West Bengal, 14 for Kerala, two each for Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Tamil Nadu and one each for Chhatttisgarh, Punjab, Uttranchal, Dadar Nagar Haveli, Gujarat and Jharkhand.

According to the politburo member, Sitaram Yechury, the CPI(M) would field candidates in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar. The next list would be released soon.

Though Mr. Yechury spoke of the need minimise the division of secular votes, today's list contains names for seats such as Kanpur where the Congress has a sitting MP.

Mr. Yechury ruled out formation of a front or entering into an alliance with the Congress. Though his party had differences with the Congress and would continue to oppose it in the States where it was in power, he did emphasise that the priority was to defeat the National Democratic Alliance. "We are fighting the Congress in West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura, but in the context of elections the main aim is to defeat the NDA."

Referring to Tamil Nadu, Mr. Yechury pointed out that there was no joint front there. The CPI(M) had a seat sharing arrangement with the DMK, which in turn had its own understanding with the Congress and other parties. On Andhra Pradesh, he clarified that though the CPI(M) was committed to ensuring that there was no division of the anti-Telugu Desam votes, it was not part of any alliance with the Telangana Rashtriya Samithi (TRS). A secular government was a distinct possibility after the polls and its details would be worked out after the elections, he said, but refused to outline the exact role his party would play in the event of formation of a secular government. "Our position will be decided by the central committee after the polls."

Mr. Yechury parried questions on who would head a secular government. The issue would be decided after the polls. "Let the people elect their representatives and then the leadership question can be taken up,'' he said.

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