CPM turns down CPI plea for extra seat

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: CPM has rejected the plea of the CPI for an extra seat in Kollam district. The decision regarding an extra seat in any other district for the party will be taken at the LDF meeting scheduled on Monday. Meanwhile, sources have said that the CPI stand was that no party would get more seats than they contested in the last assembly elections. CPM is learnt to have reiterated this stand in the bilateral talks with CPI on Sunday.

Though the CPI asked for two more seats apart from the 27 it contested in the previous assembly polls, they had, however, put a condition forward that if it gets Chavara and Eravipuram where RSP had contested last time, it would limit its demand to just one more extra seat. The CPM does not favour this demand, citing that this would break the equilibrium, where CPI will be contesting in more seats than CPM.

Meanwhile, the CPM has agreed to give INL three seats in earlier bilateral talks and assured that the issue of admitting INL to the LDF will be considered after the polls. CPM will be contesting in Vengara and Kuthuparambu where INL had fielded its candidates last time. Instead, INL will be given Kozhikode South and Vallikkunnu. INL will retain Kasargod seat.   However, the talks between CPM and CMP Aravindakshan ended up in a stalemate.