Going by the political resolution of party's 20th Congress at Kozhikode last year, the Himachal Pradesh unit of Communist Party of India (Marxist) has also decided to workfor a Left and democratic alternative against the neo-liberal policies and communal agenda of both the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party.
On the first day of its two-day State Committee meeting yesterday the party decided to oppose both the BJP and Congress in the coming by-election of Mandi Lok Sabha seat.
It would follow a policy of equidistance from both the bourgeoisie parties "and would not direct its cadre to support the so called secular parties as it had done in the past, said asenior leader.
The party because of shortage of resources has not fielded any candidate of its own in the byelection when the general elections are just approaching any time next year.
The party which was also a significant part of the joint front, Him Loktantrik Morcha formed during the recent Vidhan Sabha elections, was also unable to convince any of its partners tofight this bye-election.
The CPI-M that had taken more than 20,000 votes last time when the incumbent chief minister Virbhadra Singh had won with a narrow margin of just 13,000 votes, has now decided to supportany candidate other than BJP and Congress. There are three more independents fighting byelections in Mandi.
{{/usCountry}}The CPI-M that had taken more than 20,000 votes last time when the incumbent chief minister Virbhadra Singh had won with a narrow margin of just 13,000 votes, has now decided to supportany candidate other than BJP and Congress. There are three more independents fighting byelections in Mandi.
{{/usCountry}}Chief Minister's wife Pratibha Singh is the Congress candidate and four time BJP legislator Jai Ram Thakur is the BJP candidate this time.In the absence of CPI-M candidate, the Congress had taken the Left Front and Morcha support for granted in the hill State.
Morcha convenor Maheshwar Singh has also stated that he would not let the BJP win this election and would also not support the Congress.
The all important State Committee meeting of CPI-M is being held in the presence of State party in-charge and former Rajya Sabha member from Kerala A Vijayaraghavan. He is also the CentralSecretariat member of the CPI-M.