Andhra Pradesh Congress seals seat-sharing deal with CPI, consensus eludes talks with CPI(M)

Congress in Andhra Pradesh seals seat-sharing deal with CPI for upcoming elections, facing challenges in Vijayawada constituencies.

As part of its alliance with the Left parties in the elections, the Congress party in Andhra Pradesh has sealed a seat-sharing deal with the Communist Party of India (CPI), leaving one Lok Sabha and eight Assembly constituencies for its poll partner to contest.

The Guntur Parliamentary constituency and eight Assembly segments, including Vijayawada West, Visakha West, Anantapur, Pattikonda, Tirupati, Rajampet, Eluru, and Kamalapuram have been given to the CPI.

Talks are in progress with the CPI(M) on seat-sharing and sources in the Congress said efforts are on to iron out issues related to certain Assembly constituencies that are of equal interest to both the poll partners.

Pointing to the fact that the CPI-(M) is insisting on retaining the Gannavaram, Vijayawada East, Vijayawada Central and Mangalagiri Assembly seats, a senior party leader said, “If that happens, we will not be left with any party worker to even tie a flag, from Gannavaram up to the party office, the Andhra Ratna Bhavan in Vijayawada city, should a Congress leader from outside the State visit Vijayawada.”.

The Vijayawada Central Assembly seat may turn into a major bone of contention between the Congress and the CPI(M). While the State leaders are engaged in deliberations to seal the deal, senior CPI(M) leader Ch. Baburao has started campaigning in the Vijayawada Central constituency.

Some of the Congress leaders feel that giving away two of the three Assembly constituencies to the allies in Vijayawada city will prove to be a costly mistake for their party. Asserting that Vijayawada city has been a traditional Congress bastion, they want their leadership to field the party candidates from Vijayawada East and Vijayawada Central constituencies and insist that the CPI, which has been given Vijayawada West, field a candidate belonging to the Minority community, as this would pacify the minorities associated with the Congress to some extent.

“In 2004 elections, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy allotted Vijayawada West Assembly constituency to CPI as part of poll-alignment but made sure that a candidate belonging to the Minority community, Nazar Vali, contested for the seat on behalf of the alliance and the latter won the elections,” APCC vice-president and a BC leader Kolanukonda Shivaji recalls, insisting that the Congress retain two Assembly segments in Vijayawada.