CPI seeks three seats from Cong for Telangana alliance

Hyderabad: The Communist Party of India (CPI) in Telangana is ready for electoral alliance with the Congress party for the upcoming Assembly elections provided it is given three seats.

The Congress party has initiated talks with both the CPI and CPI-M for electoral alliance. CPI state secretary K Sambasiva Rao has placed the precondition before the Congress leaders.

The CPI is keen to field its candidates from Bellampalli, Husnabad, Kothagudem and Munugode constituencies. The party wants the Congress to leave at least three seats for it. The CPI-M is also understood to have made a similar demand. The Congress has initiated the talks with the leaders of the Left parties after the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) decided to go alone. Last week, the BRS announced candidates for 115 out of 119 Assembly seats.

Both the CPI and CPI-M have slammed KCR-led BRS for betraying them. Both the parties had extended support to the BRS in the by-election for Mungode last year and were hoping that the ruling party would agree to leave a few seats for them. The BRS had reportedly offered only one Assembly seat to the Left parties. It had also offered two Legislative Council seats.

The Communist parties have been on the decline in Telangana for the last two decades. In the 2018 elections, they had an alliance with the Congress and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP). However, they drew a blank. The CPI had won one Assembly seat in the 2014 elections. Assembly elections are slated to be held in November-December this year.