CPM open to united Oppn candidate for President

POLITBURO MEET

WHILE STICKING to its stand againstforginganelectoralalliance withthecongress,thecpmwillbe opentobackingunitedopposition candidates for the posts of President and Vice President.

The CPM Politburo, which met here on Monday, ahead of the two-day meeting of the party’s central committee, discussed the Presidential elections, and is learnt to have reached the consensus that the party should join efforts to find a common opposition candidate and back that candidate.

The Presidential elections are to be held before July 24, the Vice Presidential polls by August 10.

On the question of a national alliance against the BJP, the Politburo observed that it is not time yet to revise the party line of no electoral alliance with the Congress, taken at the last party congress held in 2015.

However, Politburo leaders from West Bengal are learnt to have demanded that the party should have an understanding with the Congress for the upcoming elections to seven municipal corporations in the state.

The Left parties stood divided in the last Presidential election in 2012: the CPM and Forward Bloc supported UPA candidate Pranab Mukherjee, while the CPI and RSP abstained from voting.

According to sources, Politburo members felt that efforts should be made to try and stop the BJP from taking over all posts. The Congress has also indicated that the party is more than willing to explore the possibility of fielding a common opposition candidate for the post of President.

“Therewilldefinitelybeacommonoppositioncandidate,”asenior Congress leader said, arguing thattheoppositioniskeentoforce a contest, even though symbolic, to send across a message of unity against the BJP and the NDA government. The Congress Working Committee is expected to meet soon to discuss it.

Praveen Khanna CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury at the meet, Monday.