CPI hits out at ‘larger parties’ of INDIA bloc for dragging feet on seat-sharing, says their ‘cold feet’ harming Left

CPI criticizes larger parties in INDIA bloc for dragging feet on seat sharing, announces Party Congress details.

The national council of the Communist Party of India (CPI) has observed that larger parties in the INDIA bloc are dragging their feet when it comes to seat sharing negotiations.

Talking to reporters here on Monday (December 2, 2024) after the three-day meeting of his party’s leadership, CPI general secretary D. Raja said the CPI and Left have unblemished secular credentials and they cannot be left out of electoral battles. He added that the “cold feet” of larger parties are harming the Left politically and said the CPI will counter this trend and raise the issue with other parties at appropriate levels.

Mr. Raja also announced that the next Party Congress (25th) of the CPI will be held in Chandigarh from September 21 to September 25, 2025. “Guidelines for electing the delegates and about the number of members in National Council and State Council along with guidelines to conduct state conferences before August 2025 were passed,” he said.

Mr. Raja said while the INDIA Bloc was formed to take on the BJP-RSS and in defence of the values of the Constitution with much enthusiasm, the execution part after the formation of the broad-based alliance has not been smooth. “With seat sharing taking place only at very end of nominations for elections, smaller parties are left with no options and have no clarity on which seats to be contested and prepared for. These factors are proving detrimental to the INDIA bloc as has been seen in the cases of many states recently,” he said.

The CPI also decided to observe December 10 as Protest and Demands Day to demand a Joint Parliamentary Committee to investigate the alleged wrongdoings of Adani Group of Companies and to expose the Union government’s role in promoting crony capitalism.

On Manipur crisis, Mr. Raja said Chief Minister N. Biren Singh has failed in his duties. “His inadequate response and failure to quell the violence by taking all communities into confidence due to his partisan bias and mismanagement have only aggravated the crisis,” he said, demanding Mr. Singh’s resignation.