CPI(M) likely to contest 5 seats in AP by-polls

The party would field candidates wherever it has the strength, possibly in five seats, and support Lok Satta Party of bureaucrat-turned-politician N Jayaprakash Narayan in other constituencies, CPI(M) state secretary B V Raghavulu said.

There is no formal seat-sharing alliance between the two.

CPI has already announced it will not contest the bypolls and support TDP in the coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions.

Polling will be held on June 12.

The bypolls to 16 of the 18 assembly seats were necessitated as the sitting Congress MLAs switched loyalty to Kadapa MP Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy and voted against Congress government in a floor test in December last, while the sitting member quit in support of Jagan in another seat.

Actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi resigned as MLA following his election to Rajya Sabha.

The bye-election to Nellore Lok Sabha seat was necessitated as the sitting Congress MP quit in support of Jagan. PTI SJR KRK