The Hindu : National : Yechury, Brinda Karat to contest RS elections

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Wednesday, Jun 29, 2005

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National

Yechury, Brinda Karat to contest RS elections

Special Correspondent

Left in a position to win at least 4 seats out of 6 from West Bengal

The two are chosen as nominees to ensure better coordination between the party leadership and its representatives in Parliament

Sitaram Yechury

KOLKATA: Sitaram Yechury and Brinda Karat, both members of the Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), are set to enter the Rajya Sabha. They will be contesting the elections to the Upper House from West Bengal. The elections are due on July 14.

Another member of the party's Polit Bureau, Chittabrata Majumdar, will also be contesting elections to the Rajya Sabha for a second successive term.

The names of the CPI (M) nominees were announced by CPI (M) State secretary Anil Biswas here on Tuesday.

The last date for filing nominations from the State for the Rajya Sabha is July 4, an official of the West Bengal Assembly added.

The CPI (M) has 143 members in the State Assembly whose total number of elected MLAs is 294. One seat, however, lies vacant. Elections are due for six Rajya Sabha seats from West Bengal. The Left Front constituents together are in a position to ensure the victory of their candidates for at least four seats.

Mr. Biswas said that the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), a constituent of the ruling Left Front, would select its nominee and inform the Left Front committee of its choice on Thursday. The RSP has 17 members in the Assembly.

The State CPI (M) leadership had selected Mr. Yechury and Ms. Karat as its nominees to ensure better coordination between the party leadership and its representatives in Parliament, Mr. Biswas said.

Brinda Karat

The main Opposition party in the Assembly, the Trinamool Congress (whose strength prior to some MLAs leaving the party was 59) is eligible to put up a candidate for one Rajya Sabha seat from the State.

As the Left Front will have additional preferential votes in hand even after their four candidates are elected, it will look for a consensus candidate (agreeable to the Opposition parties) for the remaining seat from West Bengal. Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has been entrusted with the job of choosing the candidate. If the effort to decide on a consensus candidate fails, a contest for the seat is inevitable.

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