The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : CPI, CPI (M) to avoid mutual contests

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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

CPI, CPI (M) to avoid mutual contests

Special Correspondent

To hold discussions on seat sharing with the Telugu Desam after January 15

HYDERABAD: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Communist Party of India have decided to avoid mutual contests including ‘friendly’ contests in the next elections.

The parties took a decision to this effect to avoid any scope for a split in vote that will ultimately benefit the Congress. The two parties fielded their candidates from the Khammam Assembly constituency in 2004 elections when the Congress too had fielded its nominee despite the alliance with the Left.

Leaders of the two Left parties who met at M.B. Bhavan, the CPI (M) State headquarters, here on Sunday decided to hold discussions on seat sharing with the Telugu Desam after January 15. The leaders, it is learnt, are upbeat over the possibility of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti joining hands with the alliance, but are understood to have decided to wait till an official announcement is made by the TRS leadership in this regard.

“If the reports of the TRS inclination to join the TDP-Left alliance materialise, it will be the strongest force in Telangana leaving contests in most of the places one-sided,” was how a CPI leader reacted. CPI State secretary K. Narayana, secretariat members K. Ramakrishna and V. Ramnarsimha Rao, CPI (M) State secretary B.V. Raghavulu and State secretariat members Y. Venkateswara Rao and Ch. Sitaramulu were present during the discussions.

Briefing reporters later, they said the parties reviewed the political situation in the State in the light of the results of the ZPTC by-elections and discussed about the ways to take forward the agitations launched against corruption, Special Economic Zones and other issues. It was also decided to organise seminars expressing solidarity with Cuban revolution and the Israeli attacks on Palestine.

The two parties have decided to hold discussions with the TDP on extending support to TRS candidate K. Dileep Kumar and independent K. Nageshwar who were contesting for the MLC posts.

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