Congress ropes in CPI support for polls

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Congress has convinced the Communist Party of India (CPI) Karnataka unit to campaign for them in the vast majority of constituencies in the lead up to the May 10 Assembly elections.

All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala said that CPI would engage in a “friendly contest” in seven seats where they were fielding candidates. In the remaining constituencies, their cadre would support Congress candidates, he added.

Stressing the importance of unity among parties who believe in “equality and equanimity,” Surjewala said: “We reached out to the Communist Party of India. They have fielded seven candidates. They were going to field more candidates. I, personally and also Siddaramaiah ji and DK Shivakumar ji, requested the state secretary (of CPI) and their central leadership.

They agreed that there will be a friendly contest on the seven seats but in all the remaining seats, that is in all the remaining 197 seats, the entire CPI cadre will , without any pre-conditions, support the Congress candidates in this fight against the BJP.”