The Mahagatbandhan has Weakened the Chances of Polarisation of Anti-BJP Votes

Kunal, CPIML Politburo member, addressing press conf in Patna, 23 March 19

No lesson has been learnt from the betrayal of the 2015 people’s mandate and the failure of the alliance
The CPI(ML) will fight on 5 seats as earlier announced; keeping in view the goodwill gesture by RJD to leave one seat from its quota for the CPI(ML), we will leave one seat for the RJD as a reciprocal goodwill gesture
The CPI(ML) will support CPI in Beguserai and CPM in Ujiarpur and campaign in the remaining seats to defeat the BJP-NDA

The BJP poses a grave danger for the country’s democracy, Constitution, people’s rights, and our composite culture. Circumstances demand that in view of this danger, each vote of the Opposition should be consolidated and the BJP should be given a sound defeat in the coming elections. But the way in which the Congress-RJD and other parties brought out the anti-BJP alliance yesterday keeping the Left out is not in accordance with the ground reality in Bihar and the need to consolidate anti-BJP votes. It appears as if no lesson has been learnt from the betrayal of the people’s mandate of 2015 and the failure of the alliance.

The CPI(ML) and the Left are established as a strong and principled force fighting incessantly against the BJP. The Left is also the voice of people’s struggles in Bihar. A strong Left presence would not only have strengthened the reliability of the Gathbandhan (alliance) but would also have secured extensive support from workers, farmers, students, youth, and democratic forces. The manner in which the alliance has allocated seats amongst themselves and ignored the Left and the seats where the Left has an obvious claim is not rational or justified. Also, this alliance is not indicative of the number-wise situation of Parties inside the Bihar Assembly and the expression of people’s struggles over the past two years. All these factors have weakened the possibility of polarisation of anti-BJP votes in Bihar. This has disappointed the wide range of Left, democratic and progressive forces in Bihar. The CPI(ML) stands with their concern and wishes and will continue to do so in the future also.

We had already decided to contest from fewer seats so that anti-BJP votes should not get scattered. It should be noted that CPI(ML) had decided to contest from 6 seats, out of which we left the Valmikinagar seat too. The remaining seats are Ara, Siwan, Karakat, Jehanabad, and Pataliputra. The RJD has offered the CPI(ML) one seat from its quota. We will also leave one of the above 5 seats for the RJD. Also, the CPI(ML) will support the CPI in Begusarai and the CPM in Ujiarpur, and will campaign for the defeat of the BJP-NDA in the remaining seats.

The CPI(ML) will carry out a state-wide campaign with the slogans ‘Defeat BJP, Save the Country’ and ‘Towards an India of Bhagat Singh-Ambedkar’ starting from 23 March (Bhagat Singh’s martyrdom day), through 31 March (Comrade Chandrashekhar’s martyrdom day), 13 April (centenary of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre) till 14 April (Baba Saheb Ambedkar Jayanti).