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Left wing parties will be meeting in Lucknow on June 25 to discuss their strategy for 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
Communist Party of India (CPI) national secretary Atul Kumar Anjaan, said that the Left parties were identifying Assembly seats according to their presence and strength in UP. “Both the CPI and CPI-M leaderships have assessed the ground situation in the state in the wake of utter failure of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in combating the pandemic and dealing with the deteriorating law and order situation,” the CPI leader said.
Anjaan said that the unlocking post-pandemic will provide more time to Left parties to interact and make assessments regarding assembly seats. “The party is aware of the significance of this Assembly poll in the context of the present national politics and accordingly, steps would be taken to ensure maximum mobilisation of secular and pro-people economic policy believing forces against the BJP,” he said.
The CPI leader further said that Left parties had presence all over the state and at a time when many political parties would be contesting the elections, the Left parties may influence results at 70 to 100 Assembly seats in UP.
Anjaan said that the forthcoming meet on June 25 would provide an opportunity to Left parties to exchange notes, share views and discuss political scenarios including alliances.
The CPI leader further said that the recent Panchayat polls exposed the poor performance of the BJP and the public disenchantment with the Modi-Yogi governments.
“Panchayat poll results reflected the anger of the farmers against the BJP and major opposition parties had only symbolic presence and support to the farmers’ agitation while Left parties actively participated in the farmers’ stir. That is why the Left parties were accused by PM Narendra Modi of instigating farmers and this would work in our favour in the forthcoming UP Assembly polls,” he said.
When asked about any possibility of Left parties aligning with Samajwadi Party, Atul Anjaan said that so far there was no discussion in CPI or CPM and there were no feelers from the former CM Akhilesh Yadav or his party.
It is worth mentioning that Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has already entered into alliance with Rashtriya Lok Dal and Mahan Dal and was negotiating with Chandra Shekhar Ravan of Bheem Party and other smaller parties and caste groups to forge a rainbow coalition of various parties representing several backward castes.
It was during Krantikari Morcha days that the Left parties were active with Mulayam Singh Yadav and were part of a movement against communalism that helped Mulayam to capture power in 1989 by replacing Congress. Now it is to be seen whether Akhilesh Yadav initiates to accommodate Left parties in his alliance to take on Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the BJP to regain power.