CPI(M) to contest one LS, five Assembly seats

KOLKATA: Supporters of the Communist Party of India(Marxist) waving the party flag at a public rally at the Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata on Sunday. Photo: Sushanta Patronobish. 08.03 2015

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) will contest one Lok Sabha and five Assembly seats in Odisha.

Announcing the list, CPI(M) secretary Ali Kishore Patnaik said veteran party leader Janardan Pati has been selected as party’s candidate for the prestigious Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha seat for which the Congress has already extended its support.

Sitting MLA Laxman Munda has been nominated as party’s candidate for the Bonai Assembly seat in Sundargarh district. Jogananda Das (Niligiri), Nityananda Parida (Ranapur), Girendra Goswami (Morada) and Mina Pradhan (Pallahara) will lock horns with other candidates.

Although there is no formal alliance between the Congress and the CPI(M), both parties are said to have an understanding on some seats.

“Our objective is to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party and its undeclared ally, the Biju Janata Dal,” Mr. Patnaik said.