CPI(M)'s election tone: Reject Cong, defeat BJP

After supporting the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government for more than four years, the CPI(M) has adopted the “Reject Congress, defeat BJP” strategy for the next Lok Sabha elections. While it is still agreeable in joining hand with the Congress to form the next government, the CPI(M), along with other Left parties, is trying to check Congress’ tally as far as possible so that it is unable to retain its position of dictating terms in the next coalition.

Explaining its alliance strategy, a top leader of the CPI(M) said: “We will try to keep the BJP-led NDA out of power. But we also want to harm the Congress wherever it hopes to win large a number of seats like Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.”

But the top CPI(M) leadership admits that its grand plan to check the Congress and BJP has already suffered a jolt from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Mayawati as she refused any seat adjustment with the Left in northern India. “The practical situation is: we have been able to do a strategic adjustment only in South India. In Karnataka, we have an alliance with the JD(S); in Tamil Nadu with ADMK; and in Andhra Pradesh with TDP. If Mayawati had shown some flexibility, the game (of elections) would have changed further,” said the top leader.

“The BSP didn’t want any electoral alliance. On the very first day, Mayawati made it clear. But some sort of adjustment would have helped,” the leader added.

In a major move in Bihar, however, the CPI(M) and CPI have been able to rope in a more radical Leftist force — CPI(M-L) — instead of Lalu Prasad’s RJD for seat adjustments. “Lalu Prasad’s credibility against communal forces has eroded and as Bihar has a long history of Left movements, we are trying to get a pie of this anti-Lalu vote,” said another leader.

Explaining the party’s new theory of rejecting the Congress and defeating the BJP, CPI(M) Central Committee member Nilotpal Basu said: “While the BJP poses a communal threat, the Congress-led UPA also adopts a harmful neo-liberal policy. If we don’t reject this policy, it will not be possible to fight against the BJP too. In 2004, it was important to form a secular government. Now, the BJP’s rise has been checked but there is no complacency.”

The CPI(M) is planning to contest two seats in Uttar Pradesh and around a dozen seats in Bihar. In Rajasthan too, the Left party will field a few candidates. In the 34 seats contested in Rajasthan Assembly elections, the party got 9 per cent votes. In Sikar district, it got 24 per cent vote.

“During the past few elections, we have seen that the cumulative vote of the BJP and Congress are decreasing. In 2004 elections, the total vote of the BJP and Congress was 48 per cent. But the remaining 52 per cent votes were not getting consolidated. We are trying for a consolidation,” explained Basu.

But will the CPI(M) shed its usual habit of sitting outside to support and join the next government, if this “third arrangement” comes to power? That is still an open question at the AKG Bhawan, the capital’s Kremlin.