MAHARASHTRA ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS

'Defeat Communal Combine, Install Secular Govt

& Increase Left Strength'

Following is the statement issued at a press conference held jointly by CPI(M) and CPI state secretaries, Prabhakar Sanzgiri and  Manohar Deshkar in Mumbai on September 21, 2004.

AS in the 14th Lok Sabha elections, the objectives of the CPI(M) and CPI in the ensuing Maharashtra assembly elections are to ensure the defeat of the Shiv Sena-BJP communal alliance, the installation of a secular state government and an increase in the strength of the Left in the new assembly.

In order to minimise the division in the anti-communal votes, we held discussions for a month as regards seat adjustments with the Congress and the NCP. However, these discussions have not been fruitful.

Of the three seats that they left to the CPI(M), in two seats viz, Jawhar in Thane district and Surgana in Nashik district, CPI(M) candidates have been winning almost continuously for the last 25 years since 1978. The third seat viz, Solapur city south was won by the CPI(M) in 1995 and its performance in 1999 surpassed both the Congress and the NCP. The CPI was given only one seat, viz. Tivasa in Amravati district. These decisions were announced only yesterday. From this it is clear that both the Congress and the NCP are not very serious about achieving secular consolidation.

In such a situation, we have decided to contest a limited number of seats where our parties have the support of the people, acquired through mass struggles. The CPI(M) is herewith releasing a list of 16 seats and the CPI is releasing a list of 15 seats along with the names of the candidates. The CPI(M) has additionally left two more seats in Thane district, viz. Wada (ST) and Shahapur (ST) to the Kunabi Sena, which has joined us in united peasant struggles for the last three years.

In the remaining 250-odd assembly seats, our parties shall support such secular candidates who are in a position to defeat the Shiv Sena-BJP communal combine.

The main thrust of our campaign in this election, apart from the defence of secularism, will be on burning people’s issues like employment, water, concessions to the peasantry, closed and sick factories, justice to agricultural labourers and unorganised workers, the public distribution system, education, opposition to privatisation, stringent steps against corruption, social justice for dalits, adivasis and women, and the balanced development of Maharashtra as a whole.

The 14th Lok Sabha elections led to the defeat of the BJP-led alliance and to the installation of a Congress-led government. They also led to an increase in the strength of the Left in the new parliament. Due to the support of the Left parties, the new central government has had to give a human face to its common minimum programme. The Left parties have kept up their pressure to see that the government does not deviate from the CMP. We appeal to the people of Maharashtra to ensure that the same situation is created in the state after the coming assembly elections.

Following is the list of CPI(M) candidates for Maharashtra Assembly elections: