Telangana Assembly elections: After a gap of 20 years, the two Left parties – the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) have begun talks with the Congress for a pre-poll alliance in the upcoming assembly elections in Telangana. Assembly polls in Telangana are scheduled to be held towards the end of the calendar year.
This development comes days after Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao-led BRS released the list of candidates for 115 out of the total 119 seats. This decision disappointed the Left parties, which had been hoping to forge a pre-poll alliance with the ruling party.
Left extended support to BRS in Munugode by-election
The communist parties had extended their support to the BRS candidate during the Munugode by-election held in November last year. Following his party's victory, Rao expressed gratitude to the CPI and CPM for their collaboration, emphasising that this alliance would persist to counter the rising influence of the BJP.
CPM Telangana secretary Tammineni Veerabhadram said that the party has received a call from Congress Telangana in-charge Manikrao Thakare for discussion on the subject. However, a formal round of talks is yet to take place. “They are inviting us. We have asked them to clarify what they are going to offer us. The talks will depend on their offer to us,” Veerabhadram told the news agency PTI.
He further said that the aim is to fight the BJP together.
CPI and CPM asking for 5 Assembly seats
The CPI and CPM are asking for five Assembly seats each in the upcoming elections. Interestingly, two of the constituencies they are vying for are currently held by the Congress. “Alliance will be forged depending on how Congress treats us,” CPI secretary Kunamneni Sambasiva Rao said when asked about the possible tie-up with the national party.
The CPM leader said during the Munugode bypoll, the political situation in Telangana was BRS vs BJP and Chandrasekhar Rao wanted and now after the Karnataka elections. However, it changed to BRS vs Congress. Perhaps, KCR might be thinking that in case of a hung assembly after the polls, the BJP will support him in order to ensure that the Congress does not come to power.
The Congress party had a pre-poll alliance with the Left Parties and also TRS (now BRS) in 2004 General Elections and came to power in Andhra Pradesh (undivided).
The Telangana Congress has started receiving applications online from aspiring candidates for the Assembly polls.
(With PTI inputs)
