The CPI has decided to field former JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar from Begusarai even if the Rashtriya Janata Dal-Congress combine refuses to concede the Lok Sabha seat to the party.
“We are hoping that the RJD will concede the seats that we have requested. If RJD, Congress, Left and other like-minded parties fight together, we can defeat the BJP-JD(U) combine,” CPI national secretary D. Raja said.
Other than Begusarai, the CPI has been demanding Khagaria, Motihari, Madhubani, Banka and Gaya.
If the alliance does not give them space, the party will contest from all the six seats.
The CPI has a sizeable influence in Begusarai. In the 2014 general election, it got 17% of the vote share.
“If an arrangement is not possible with the RJD-Congress combine or our efforts fail, then as a political party and considering our base, we will fight the few seats that we have already shortlisted,” Mr. Raja added.
The RJD — which has to accommodate Congress, Rashtriya Lok Samata Party, Jan Loktantrik Party and Nishad Party — is in no mood to concede seats to the CPI and CPI(M).
Senior party leaders have said that the CPI (ML), which has three legislators in the Patna Assembly, will make better alliance partners.
The CPI has also decided to contest in Uttar Pradesh. It has given a wishlist to the Congress and on top of the list is the Ghosi Lok Sabha seat, where it will field party spokesperson Atul Kumar Anjan. Here too, if the Congress does not concede it will go ahead and contest on its own.