We want to contest 40-45 seats in Bihar polls: CPI(ML) gen secy

Patna, June 10 (PTI) CPI(ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya on Tuesday said his party aims to contest 40 to 45 seats in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, more than thrice its tally five years ago.

Speaking at a press conference in the state capital, Bhattacharya said, "We are planning to contest about 40–45 seats in the assembly polls." The CPI(ML) Liberation, a key Left party, is currently the third-largest constituent of the INDIA bloc in Bihar, after the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

In the 243-strong Assembly, the Left party's current strength is 11, thanks to its best ever electoral performance in the 2020 polls, when it had contested 19 seats.

In the previous assembly polls, the CPI(ML) Liberation had won altogether 12 seats, though one of its MLAs, Sudama Prasad, got elected to the Lok Sabha and the party conceded his Tarari seat to the BJP in the by-election.

Bhattacharya also said, "In the days to come, discussions in the Mahagathbandhan would centre around giving shape to a common agenda, and arriving at a seat-sharing formula".

Notably, besides the RJD, the Congress and the CPI(ML), the INDIA bloc in Bihar includes CPI(M), CPI and former state minister Mukesh Sahni's Vikassheel Insan Party.

The CPI(ML) leader also said his party will be running a statewide campaign from June 18 to 27, evocatively titled 'Badlo Sarkar, Badlo Bihar', to galvanize public opinion against the Nitish Kumar government.

"In the name of development and good governance, this government has given rise to feudal oppression. There is chaos. Law and order has collapsed and sexual assaults on women have become a routine affair", alleged Bhattacharya.

He also attacked the ruling NDA at the Centre, alleging that "Constitution is coming under attacks repeatedly despite the BJP not enjoying a majority on its own".

He also claimed that the Narendra Modi government has suffered a "diplomatic failure" as seven delegations sent to 32 countries, to present India's case on the military conflict with Pakistan, could not strike a chord with the international community. PTI NAC MNB