By IANS,
New Delhi : The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Tuesday said the alliances the party forged to form a third alternative against the Congress and the BJP “were not seen as credible and viable” by the voters.
The CPI-M politburo, which met a day earlier to discuss the reasons behind the party’s poor showing in the Lok Sabha elections, admitted that both national and state specific factors were responsible for its poll debacle.
The disastrous poll results of the party in West Bengal and Kerala reduced the Left parties’ Lok Sabha tally this time to just 24. The CPI-M’s share is 16 – the lowest in three decades.
The Left parties had allied with certain non-Congress, non-BJP parties in various states ahead of the elections. The grouping called Third Front was claimed to secular alternative at the national level.
“However, these alliances forged in some states were not seen by the people as a credible and viable alternative at the national level,” the CPI-M politburo said in a statement.
“The serious reverses suffered by the CPI-M and the Left parties in West Bengal and Kerala are of deep concern. Both national and state specific factors are responsible for the poor performance,” the statement said.
“A self-critical review will be conducted by the concerned state committees and the Central Committee which should form the basis for corrective steps,” it said.
The politburo said the party would make “all out efforts to regain the support and confidence of those sections of the people who have been alienated”.
The CPI-M said the the measures adopted by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government like the NREGA, the Forest Tribal Act and other social welfare measures, which were pushed through under Left parties pressure, helped the Congress to win 61 seats more than the 2004 elections.
“What stood the Congress in good stead were some of the measures adopted by the UPA government like the NREGA, the Forest Tribal Act and other social welfare measures which were pushed through under Left pressure.”
The party also admitted that the Congress also gained more support amongst the minorities and sections of secular minded people “who were keen to ensure that the BJP does not make a comeback”.