People's Democracy

ANDHRA PRADESH

CPI(M) State Secretariat

Statement On The Elections

M Venugopala Rao

IN the general elections to the Lok Sabha and the legislative assembly of Andhra Pradesh, the Congress made all out efforts, deliberately and with a vengeance, to defeat the CPI(M), which has been fighting incisively against the misrule of the Congress government in the state for the last four years. As a result, the CPI(M) could win in only one assembly constituency against the five seats it had expected to win.

Responding to the electoral verdict in the state, the state secretariat of the CPI(M) made these observations in a statement released to the media on May 17, 2009. In the 294-member assembly, the Congress won in 157 seats, while the combination of the four parties put together succeeded in winning in 106 constituencies - TDP in 90, TRS in 10, CPI in 4 and the CPI(M) in one.  Among the new entrants in the electoral fray, the Praja Rajyam Party could get 18 seats and the president of Lok Satta Jayaprakash Narain is the only winner among the candidates put up by that party.  The MIM increased its strength to 7, the BJP to 2 and four independents scored victory.  Out of the 42 Lok Sabha constituencies, the Congress emerged victorious in 33, TDP in 6, TRS in two while the MIM retained its lone seat.

The state secretariat of the CPI(M) made it clear that just as it could raise its voice on behalf of the people in the assembly even with one or two members in the past, it would do so this time also. The electoral verdict at the hustings to Lok Sabha and the assembly is in favour of the Congress, which has emerged as the single largest party. The CPI(M) explained that the expectation that the four-party combination would get simple majority in the assembly failed to fructify. It felt that had the adjustment of seats between the four-party combination taken place properly and had they acted with more coordination, they could have won some more seats. These parties have to examine whether avoidable mistakes/defects had taken place and draw proper lessons, the CPI(M) suggested. 

The CPI(M) announced that it would fully cooperate with the efforts of the Congress government that is going to be formed for solving the problems of the common and middle class people who are facing difficulties because of financial crisis.  It would play the role of a constructive opposition in the new assembly, the CPI(M) said. The Party thanked the people who voted for its candidates, workers and leaders of the four parties who had made efforts and donors who helped financially.

B V Raghavulu, state secretary of the CPI(M) and member of its Polit Bureau, told reporters in Hyderabad on May 20, when the meeting of the state secretariat of the Party was taking place at its state headquarters, M B Bhavan,  that various factors which influenced the electoral verdict were being examined and analysed by the secretariat and that the same would be discussed in the state committee meeting scheduled to take place on May 21. He made it clear that the CPI(M) would fight together with other parties in the four-party alliance on the people�s issues  and struggles would be conducted on the same by bringing together other parties also which would be willing to join hands with the alliance.