CPM seeks 45 Assembly seats, CPI 20 as part of Alliance With TDP

Hyderabad Dec 24th :The TDP and the two left parties, which are gearing up to hold joint political classes for the cadre of the respective parties from
December 26, held preliminary talks on Tuesday on the issue of sharing of seats in the 2009 elections.

According to informed sources, the CPM had prepared a list of 45 Assembly seats and four Lok Sabha seats while the CPI wants 20 assembly and two Lok Sabha seats. The CPM state unit, which had identified the constituencies, got the list cleared by its central leaders.

The CPM, sources say, wants Bhadrachalam Lok Sabha seat which it had won last time, Nalgonda and Hyderabad and one seat in the Coastal belt. The two left parties are, however, willing to scale down the demand of Assembly seats and Lok Sabha seats in case the TRS finally takes a decision to join the alliance.

The TRS, it is said, has put up a proposal that if they join the alliance, they should get 51 assembly seats out of 119 in Telangana and nine Lok Sabha seats including Karimnagar, Adilabad, Medak, Warangal and Hyderabad.

The TDP, according to insiders, is willing to leave 20 Assembly seats to the CPM and 15 to CPI and about 40-45 assembly seats to TRS. They may also agree to leave nine Lok Sabha seats to TRS despite opposition from a section in the party. TRS had won 26 Assembly and five Lok Sabha seats in the 2004 elections.

TDP sources say that apart from doing a fine balance in sharing of seats with alliance partners, the party has to grapple with the problem arising out of delimitation of Assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies. About ten of the sitting MLAs would be effected by the delimitation. Add to this, the party is facing internal bickerings and group politics in the north coastal region.

Meanwhile, the TDP has proposed to encourage BSP to put up candidates in as many Assembly constituencies as possible particularly in the seats which are considered to be Congress strongholds. The BSP polled 2.5 per cent votes in the last elections, which is more than what the left parties polled and has the potential to cut into Congress votes. BSP won only one seat, Paderu in Visakhapatnam district in 2004.