CPI(M) decides to contest LS seats in various states

Top CPI(M) leadership has decided to contest a number of seats in various states in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, though a final decision would be taken in March.
The Politburo of the party, which met here for two days, "approved" the seats to be contested in a number of states and debated the pros and cons of talks being carried out in some states with Left and non-Congress secular parties to reach an electoral understanding, party sources said.
Party leaders remained tight-lipped about the number of seats CPI(M) would contest or from which states, saying the Central Committee, which would meet for two days from March one, would take the final call.

The Central Committee would also finalise the party's election manifesto then, they said.
Barring West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura, among other states CPI(M) may put up candidates could be Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and a few in the north, the sources said.
They said the Politburo discussed the preparations for the Lok Sabha elections and heard reports from state units about the talks they were carrying out with non-Congress, non -BJP parties for electoral understanding in some states.

Regarding West Bengal, a CPI(M) statement said, "Given the notorious record of the ruling party (Trinamool Congress) in rigging elections and preventing voters from casting their votes, the Election Commission should take special measures to ensure a fair and peaceful election."

It also attacked Mamata Banerjee's party for its "callous attitude" in dealing with the recent rape and murder cases, which CPI(M) leaders said has been "rising exponentially".
CPI(M) also condemned the murder of and attacks on SFI and Left activists and "rampage against democratic rights. All elected bodies and institutions are being subverted."
On the T P Chandrasekharan murder case in Kerala, it said the acquittal of leading CPI(M) activists by the court "shows that the charge levelled of conspiracy by the party (CPI-M) leaders has been proven to be false."
CPI(M)'s Kerala unit chief and Politburo member Pinarayi Vijayan said, "The murder of Chandrasekharan was unfortunate. We have been saying all along that we had no role in it. What has now collapsed is a script based on complete lies to malign and haunt CPI(M). The party has been completely cleared."

CPI(M) also said the UPA government had decided to increase the number of LPG cylinders as the Left parties have been carrying out nationwide protests for several months. It also demanded scrapping of the Aadhar linkage and the delivery of 12 cylinders at subsidised rates, as earlier.