CHANDIGARH, Feb 4: The ruling Akali Dal is learnt to be appraising the likely impact of the electoral adjustment between the Congress and the Communist Party of India in Punjab.The CPI is contesting Bathinda with the support of the Congress. In return, the CPI has extended support to the Congress in the remaining seats. Out of 13 seats, the Congress has fielded its candidates from eight seats while four seats have been given to the Bahujan Samaj Party, its other ally.In the last Assembly elections also, the Congress and the CPI had entered into a tacit understanding. The CPI won two seats out of 10 it contested under that arrangement.
The Congress had supported the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in the Qila Raipur Assembly bye-election last year. However, the CPM had made it categorically clear that it would not share the stage with the Congress. The Congress was not averse to joining hands with the CPM also in Punjab but subject to the condition of joint campaign and sharing of the stage.
The CPIcandidate got 77,945 votes in the last Lok Sabha election in Bathinda. Makhan Singh, who had contested from Bathinda on CPI ticket in 1996, later joined the Akali Dal. The Congress share was about 2.10 lakh with the Akali Dal winning this seat getting more than 3 lakh voters. This was the seat the Akali Dal won with the biggest margin in the State. However, Harinder Singh, former Indian Foreign Service officer, who won last time, has been replaced this time.
The CPI has its pockets of influence in Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Ludhiana, Patiala and Ferozepur. Former Union minister RL Bhatia, who has been renominated by the Congress from Amritsar, has been getting the CPI support covertly many a times. The CPI had contested Patiala and Ferozepur also in 1996 getting 36,027 and 27,523 votes respectively. The CPI support would be crucial to the Congress in these seats.
The CPI and the CPM have never won any seat in Punjab on their own. The CPI was victorious from Bathinda and Sangrur in 1971 but that was with thesupport of the Congress. The Left votes are normally polled in favour of the Congress even otherwise.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
