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Assembly elections : Interesting battles ahead

	March 27, 2006

The Assembly elections in Kerala which the Left Democratic Front was earlier tipped to win hands down, have become a more balanced fight with a last minute deal between the Congress and Karunakaran’s Democratic Indira Congress (K) and the CPI(M) politburo being forced to bring back 83 year old party veteran V.S. Achuthanandan in the poll fray.



There was a lot of drama before the Congress clinched a deal with former Chief Minister and party rebel K. Karunakaran’s DIC (K). Earlier in the week, the deal almost fell through when Karunakaran turned down the Congress demand that his party members should contest the elections on the Congress symbol. He also used harsh words against Congress leaders in the state which upset Chief Minister Oommen Chandy. But the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) which wanted the deal with the Karunakaran party to go through if the United Democratic Front was to put up a credible show in the elections persevered with its mediation and ultimately an agreement was signed on Friday, March 24.



Under the agreement, DIC(K) is to contest 18 seats, 17 from the Congress quota, and one from the IUML quota.



The terms of understanding, confirmed through an unprecedented written agreement signed by Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Ramesh Chennithala and DIC (K) president K. Muraleedharan, clearly spelt out the contours of the arrangement, stating that the DIC(K) would work for the victory of the UDF. “It has been agreed that only the UDF can provide a clean and stable Government for the benefit of Kerala.



“The issue of merger of the DIC with the Congress will be discussed and facilitated after the elections.” It is felt that those having Congress culture should unite under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi in view of the above, the agreement said.



Chief Minister Oommen Chandy indicated that the DIC merger with the Congress was only a follow up of the Hyderabad AICC plenary session’s call for unity of all Congressmen.



The DIC(K) could wrest from the Congress only an assurance that it could contest on its “television” symbol. Besides retaining the seats vacated by nine MLAs, it had to be satisfied with marginal seats that do not have a tradition of returning Congress candidates.





CPI(M) forced to bring back Achuthanandan



On the other side of the political fence, the CPI(M) has been forced to field the leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly V.S. Achuthanandan in the coming elections. Earlier, the party had decided to drop him and not to put him up. CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat told newspersons in Thiruvananthapuram that the party politburo had decided to reopen the candidature after reviewing the decision. He said the party would decide on the Left Democratic Front’s chief-ministerial candidate later. He said LDF convener Paloli Mohd. Kutty, another contender for the Chief Minister’s post, would also be in the fray. However, state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan would not be contesting.



The politburo meeting held on March 15 and 16 had decided not to field Achuthanandan and Vijayan. The decision had rocked the party in the state with Achuthanandan supporters holding rallies and demonstrations openly.



In neighbouring Tamil Nadu, the All India Anna DMK has decided to contest 182 seats in the Assembly elections, leaving 52 for its allies including MDMK, which had earlier broken away from the DMK-led Democratic Progressive Alliance (DPA). Interestingly, the Indian National Trade Union Congress (Tamil Nadu wing) is in the Jayalalithaa alliance.



The DMK, on its part, has concluded the allocation of seats for constituents of the Democratic Progressive Alliance. The DMK is contesting 129 seats, the Congress 48, the CPI(M) 13, the CPI 10 and IUML 3.



In West Bengal, another state going to the polls, the Congress and the Trinamul Congress of Mamata Banerjee have not been able to work out seat adjustments so far. The Congress has decided to field candidates in 257 constituencies including those held by the Trinamul Congress. Mamata Banerjee has blamed the Congress for the failure to work out a “grand” alliance. Mamata Banerjee said the Congress is not only helping the Left Front to win elections in West Bengal, but it is also ensuring that no other opposition party gets a chance to win the polls.



Meanwhile, the CPI(M) led Left Front is working for getting a massive majority in the coming Assembly elections. The CPI(M) alone is gunning for 170 to 180 seats.



According to CPI(M) sources, it is imperative for the party to have a thumping majority in the Assembly to pass controversial Bills and take administrative decisions on McKinsey and Co’s suggestions on development and providing land to the Salem Group that are unacceptable to the Left Front partners.



In the 2001 Assembly polls, the CPI(M) fell short of a simple majority in the 294-member Assembly.



Meanwhile, the Left Front has urged the Election Commission to ban exit polls in the media during the proposed five-phase polling in West Bengal. Left front Chairman Biman Bose, speaking in Calcutta on March 21, also demanded that the Commission set forth a code of conduct for poll observers. He said some of the observers act on fictitious complaints by the opposition parties in the state.