In the absence of a proposed merger between the Janata Dal (Secular) and the the Loktantrik Janata Dal (LJD), the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [(CPI(M)] is seemingly fine-tuning its seat allocation strategy between its age-old partner and relatively new associate for the Assembly elections.
Party sources said both partners would have to be accommodated without damaging the legislative fortunes of the Left Democratic Front (LDF). Ahead of the seat-sharing talks, possibly next week, the LJD State executive committee is meeting in Thrissur on Wednesday to chalk out its own electoral blueprint.
After a critical appraisal of the performance of both parties in the local body polls, the CPI (M) leadership has decided to offer eight seats in total to both of them. The LJD and the JD(S) won 100 and 72 seats respectively in last month’s election.
Previous election
Even before the local body polls, the CPI(M) had pushed for the merger of both the parties so as to forestall a wrangling over the seats. But the merger failed to take off despite several rounds of parleying.
The JD(S) had contested in five seats and won all in the last Assembly election. However the LJD, then the Janata Dal (United) in the Congress-led United Democratic Front camp, drew a blank from seven seats. Now, the split in the JD(S) would limit the number of the seats to that party.
CPI(M) leaders said the party was weighing all options in the case of the LJD which ostensibly has solid grassroots support despite having no legislators. Hence, some hard-nosed bargaining is on the cards from the LJD in the seat-sharing process.
‘Eyeing five seats’
LJD functionaries said they were eyeing at least five seats – Vadakara and Koothuparamba segments, a second seat in Kozhikode district, apart from a seat in Alappuzha and Thiruvananthapuram districts. The party is looking closely at the Kayamkulam segment.
In the run-up to the Assembly polls in 2016, the CPI (M) had offered eight seats, including Kozhikode South, Kottayam, Kalpetta, Aruvikkara, and Eravipuram, to the JD(U), then led by the late M.P. Veerendrakumar in the State, if the party switched loyalties to the LDF camp. At that time, the party’s district units of Kozhikode and Kannur were reluctant to join the CPI(M)-led coalition.
