CPM to back 'strongest' candidate who can defeat BJP

The CPM will support the "strongest" candidate who can defeat the BJP in the upcoming Karnataka Assembly elections in all seats except around 30 in which the Left Front will field candidates.

The CPM will field 18-19 candidates while other Left-Front constituents will fight in 11-12 seats for an Assembly of 224 seats. A CPM statement said Central Committee discussed the political situation in Karnataka and approved the list of party candidates without giving details.

"In seats where the CPM and other Left parties are contesting, we will support the strongest candidate. We will call for the defeat of the BJP," CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury told reporters here after the three-day meeting of the Central Committee concluded.

Asked whether the call to defeat the BJP would mean a call to ask people to vote for the Congress, Yechury said they have not asked to vote for a particular party. "Our main objective is to defeat the BJP. People will decide whom to vote to defeat the BJP," he said.

The Congress under Chief Minister Siddaramiah is seeking re-election in the May 12 polls and the BJP is turning no stones unturned to defeat the ruling party. Opposition parties H D Deve Gowda-led JD(S) and BSP have entered into an electoral alliance with the latter fighting in 20 seats.

The queries comes against the backdrop of intense inner-party struggles over the relationship with the Congress with a faction led by former general secretary Prakash Karat opposing any links with Congress. CPM sources said the party would likely to give an indication to its cadre to vote for the Congress in almost all the seats.

Within the CPM, a section has apprehensions that the JD(S) may join hands with the BJP in a post-poll scenario where the NDA has a chance to form the government. This section argues that it must take this situation into consideration while deciding on the voting strategy.

In 2013 Assembly polls, the CPM contested 16 seats and polled 68,775 votes (0.22%) and the CPI, which contested eight seats got 25,450 seats with a vote share of 0.08%.