Left targets Cong strongholds, seat share increase in Rajasthan

INROADS The party has fielded 28 candidates, hopes to win three to five seats

NEW DELHI: Amid talks at the national level to forge unity among Opposition parties to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI(M), is looking at the Congress as its key rival in the Rajasthan election.

The communists have fielded 28 candidates for the election in India’s largest state and hope to win at least three to five seats. The candidates are fielded in areas of Sikar, Ganganagar, Nagaur, Churu, Jhunjhunu, Jaipur rural, Dungarpur, Udaipur, Bikaner and Kota. The party has no representative in the current assembly but had three members in assembly during 20082013.

“Yes, we will be primarily fighting in Congress strongholds in Rajasthan. The situation in

› We will be primarily fighting in Congress stronghold in Rajasthan. The situation in this state is different. In last 5 years, our main fight was against the Congress than the BJP. We actually played the Opposition role. The Congress did not support our demands.

HANNAN MOLLAH, CPI(M) politburo member

this state is different. In last five years, our main fight was against the Congress than the BJP. We actually played the opposition role. The Congress did not support our demands. They just sit and wait to return to power,” said CPI(M) politburo member Hannan Mollah.

Mollah is in charge of Rajasthan where the party has led several protest movements in the last few years.

According to a CPI(M) member with knowledge of the matter, “there are at least seven seats where we will manage to get more than 10,000 votes. In other seats, we can get 2,000-3,000 votes easily.”

A senior Congress leader who did not want to be named, however, rejected the CPI(M) charges and said, “They are a marginal force in all places except Kerala. They won’t be able to dent our support.”

Party leaders say that they fought for water for farmers in the state’s nauhar (irrigation) belt of Ganganagar, Hanumangarh and Bikaner last year. Then, they forced the government to intervene when mustard, groundnut and onion price fell.

The party also organized farmers to block highways for 8-9 days in Churu against non-availability of crop insurance claims and finally the farmers got ₹300 crore as insurance.

The party is also resting its hopes on its fight against the state’s power tariff hike, which resulted in the government withdrawing it. This benefitted many farmers, as there are 12 lakh tubewells that run on power in areas like Sikar, Churu, Nagaur. To celebrate this victory, the CPI(M) organized a victory rally in Jaipur this year.

Other party members also say that in areas where the party organization doesn’t exist, leaders are spreading the message to support any force capable of defeating the BJP.