The Hindu : National : CPI(M) says it is not part of Congress-NCP alliance

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 20, 2004

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National

CPI(M) says it is not part of Congress-NCP alliance

By Our Special Correspondent

MUMBAI, OCT. 19. In what is seen as a setback to the Congress' plans to wrest the chief ministership in Maharashtra, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) today declared that it was not part of the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party alliance. Also, the Jan Surajya Shakti, which has four seats, decided to extend support to the NCP.

To argue that it had won more seats than the NCP, the Congress had added the three seats won by the CPI (M) and those of two Independents to raise its tally to 74 against the NCP's 72, including one won by the Republican Party of India (Athavale). The Congress had said that the three seats had been allotted to the CPI (M) out of its quota approved by the NCP.

At a press conference here today, the CPI (M) State secretary, Prabhakar Sanzgiri, said that seat-sharing talks with the Congress had failed before the elections and that the party had contested 16 seats. The three constituencies it had won were the party's traditional strongholds and not any allotment, he claimed.

`Show maturity'

Mr. Sanzgiri also called upon the Congress and the NCP to "show political maturity and end the unsavoury row and not disappoint the people who have given them the majority." The CPI (M) would not like to intervene in the tussle since it was not an ally.

The party would function as a Left opposition but would support the Congress-NCP Government if it found that the Shiv Sena-BJP combine was trying to topple it. The CPI (M) would also try to convince the Peasants and Workers Party (PWP) that had won two seats to adopt a similar stand. The PWP and the Janata Dal (S) had decided before the elections to maintain equi-distance from both the Congress-NCP alliance as well as the Shiv Sena-BJP combine.

On the other hand, the JSS, a party of mostly rebels and expelled members of the NCP, handed a letter of support to the mother party stating the NCP had accepted the JSS manifesto calling for a boost to the rural economy. Its leader, Vinay Kore, told reporters that the JSS preference was that the NCP's State president, R.R. Patil, should become the Chief Minister.

The NCP has also reportedly secured the support of 11 Independents to reinforce its claim for the chief ministership.

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