Talking to reporters after a meeting of party workers in Satpur, Sanzgiri said the CPI (M) would contest the Dahanu, Malegaon and Nandurbar Lok Sabha seats and 23 Assembly seats in Maharashtra. He said the decision on a possible alliance with other parties would be taken after a meeting of party leaders in Delhi on July 24 and 25.

He said several Left parties were having a dialogue with Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party, but the CPI (M) had kept out of it. He said the CPI (M) was willing to enter into an alliance with secular parties to keep communal forces out of power, adding his party was opposed to the new economic policy and was in favour of an alternative self-reliant economic system.

He also announced the names of the CPI (M)'s three VidhanSabha candidates from Nashik district: Jiva Pandu Gavit from Surgana, Hiraman Bhagara from Dindori and Sitaram Thombre from Chandwad.

BJP WORKERS BOOKED: The police have registered offences of election code of conduct violation against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers in Nashik and Chandwad.

During the visit of Deputy Chief Minister Gopinath Munde on Monday, BJP activists had allegedly displayed banners and party flags in Chandwad without the requisite permission. In Nashik, about 15 BJP workers led by Abhijit Bagade, Rahul Nirbhavane and Rajendra Sangamnerkar took out a two-wheeler procession to escort Munde's vehicle, despite being told that they were not permitted to do so.

Accordingly, the Sarkarwada police have registered an offence against 15 BJP workers under Section 37 (1) (3) of the Bombay Police Act.