By IANS,
Raipur : The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) has fielded candidates against Communist Party of India (CPI) on four seats after it failed to enter into an electoral alliance with the latter that is fighting Chhattisgarh polls in alliance with two smaller parties.
The CPI has formed a third front with Loktantrik Samajwadi Party and Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha to contest 41 seats out of the state’s total 90 with CPI alone contesting 22 seats.
The CPI-led third front was expecting CPI-M to join it to put up a united fight in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled Chhattisgarh. The state, which goes to the polls Nov 14 and 20, has 90 assembly seats.
“We wanted to stop the split of communist votes on certain segments where the communists are traditionally stronger but CPI-M failed to support us,” Chittaranjan Bakshi, senior CPI leader, told IANS Wednesday.
“The central leadership of both the parties agreed to fight together in Chhattisgarh but certain leaders’ adamance has created a situation that we are contesting against each other on four seats, Kanker, Korba, Bhatgaon and Lundra,” Bakshi said.
The CPI-M is contesting seven seats in the state but analysts say the party is unlikely to win even a single seat. However, they believe the CPI has a good chance this time on Maoist insurgency-hit Dantewada and Konta in Dantewada district, besides Lundra in Surguja district, all three reserved for scheduled tribe candidates.