The Hindu
MANGALORE, Apr 18: The Left parties in Dakshina Kannada are likely to work for the Congress in the Assembly elections. The leadership of the Communist Party of India and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has indicated that their parties might campaign for Congress candidates on a case-to-case basis.
In Dakshina Kannada, as also the rest of the State, the Left parties will put their might behind the opponents of the Baharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Membership
The CPI and CPI (M), together, boast of a membership of over one lakh in the district units of their various trade unions. Their support might play a decisive role in the fortunes of the Congress, which has lost considerable ground to the BJP in coastal Karnataka in the last decade.
No alliance
The district secretary of the CPI (M), B. Madhava, told The Hindu, that they would take on the BJP head-on by openly campaigning for Congress candidates. “But there will be no alliance with the Congress, we will operate as a separate entity,” he said.
Plan
Such campaigns would be undertaken only in constituencies where the CPI (M) had a base but not fielding its candidate. The party would be fielding candidates in Mangalore Rural (Yadav Shetty) and Mangalore South (Yashwanth Maroli).
Pact
The State secretary of the CPI, Siddanagouda Patil, said that the party would not sign any pact with the Congress. “We are supporting whichever party or candidate that can defeat communal forces such as the BJP,” he said. The party is fielding Satish Kumar Bantwal in the Bantwal constituency.
Although there was no formal agreement between the CPI and the CPI (M), their leaders have not ruled out the possibility of an alliance in the future.
New outlook
The CPI has formed a State-wide alliance of progressive parties, “Janapara Rajakeeya Ranga”. This comprises the All India Forward Bloc, Republican Party of India and Sarvodaya Karnataka Paksha. However, none of these three parties have presence in Dakshina Kannada. Sources in the CPI said that a commitment by the CPI (M) to support their cause could have boosted the influence of this alliance in Dakshina Kannada in particular and coastal Karnataka in general. The CPI (M) is understood to have promised outside support to the alliance.