CPI-M to support Congress where it is in direct contest with BJP

New Delhi: The CPI-M on Monday said that in order to defeat the BJP-led alliance and ensure an alternative secular government is formed at the Centre, it would lend support to the Congress in states where it is in direct contest with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The party said that in West Bengal, it won't go for mutual contest in the present six sitting Lok Sabha seats which are currently held by Congress and the Left Front.

The Communist Party of India-Marxist's Central Committee had earlier decided that the party will adopt suitable tactics to ensure the maximization of the pooling of anti-BJP and anti-Trinamool Congress votes.

At a meeting of its Central Committee here on Monday, it reiterated that its electoral tactics in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections will be based on defeating the BJP alliance, increasing the strength of the CPI-M and the Left in the Lok Sabha, and ensure that an alternative secular government is formed at the Centre.

"In order to ensure the maximum pooling of anti-BJP votes, state level electoral tactics are being worked out. In states where the direct contest is between the Congress and BJP, the CPI-M will contest one or two seats and campaign generally for the defeat of the BJP," it said in a statement.

The party added that in Tamil Nadu, discussions were on for seat sharing with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Maharashtra for contesting Dindori or Palghar seats where it "independently polls around a lakh votes each".

In Bihar, talks are being held with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) for contesting Ujiarpur seat in Samastipur district, it said.

"In Odisha, where simultaneous elections will be held, the CPI-M will contest the Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha and a few Assembly seats including its sitting seat Bonnai. It calls upon the people of Odisha to defeat the BJP," it added.

It said the Left Front was meeting on March 8 to finalise the other seats.