CPI deplores flood of influx into Right

HYDERABAD, Dec 27: The Communist Party of India (CPI) is worried over the growing desertions from the Congress ranks and the influx into th...

HYDERABAD, Dec 27: The Communist Party of India (CPI) is worried over the growing desertions from the Congress ranks and the influx into the BJP on the eve of mid-term to the Lok Sabha. The party fears that the defections would severely affect the morale of the secular camp.

Though the party is confident that a united fight by the partners of the United Front would be supported by the people, its national executive committee which met here today focussed its attention on the continuing pre-poll defections from other parties to the BJP.

The executive took stock of the political situation in the country and set out on the task of gearing up the party to face elections. It would be followed by a two-day national council meeting here from tomorrow.

Story continues below this ad

CPI general secretary A B Bardhan, Union Ministers Indrajit Gupta and Chaturanan Mishra and former Kerala chief minister V K Vasudevan Nair were among those who attended the meet.

The executive adopted the “approach paper to the elections” introduced by Bardhan with minor changes and it would form basis for the national council’s deliberations. The paper justified the stand taken by the party during the crises which gripped the two UF governments.

On the defections to BJP, the CPI felt that the Congress should do some introspection. “Serious damage has been done to the Congress and its ideological moorings,” said D Raja, CPI national secretary.

Though the four Left parties – CPI, CPM, RSP and Forward Bloc – would join the other UF constituents in issuing a common appeal to the people, a common election manifesto is unlikely. The Left parties would release a separate manifesto.

Story continues below this ad

In the last Lok Sabha elections, the CPI contested 43 seats and won 13 in alliance with different parties. Though the state units have now expressed desire to contest more seats, the party leadership is unlikely to give its nod to this proposal. Though the CPI has limited electoral strength, the party is aware of its responsibility in giving shape to a broad secular combination after the polls to keep the BJP out of power. “Our influence over the centrist camp is enormous,” said Raja.Surprisingly, the executive has not taken seriously the efforts made by Rastriya Janata Dal chief Laloo Prasad Yadav to form a secular front

EXCLUSIVE: EC brings in feature to check misuse of identity to seek voter list deletions

Political Pulse3 hr ago

The Election Commission has launched a new 'e-sign' feature on its portal and app to prevent fraud. This comes after allegations of misuse of online voter deletion forms in Karnataka. The feature requires voters to verify their identity using their Aadhaar-linked phone numbers, reducing the possibility of fraud.

View all shorts

Live Blog