CPI (M) releases first list with 17 seats in Telangana

Enough time and options were given to the Congress to finalise the candidates under the seat sharing agreement. But the Congress failed to consider our requests, CPI (M) Telangana Secretary T Veerabhadram said.

Hyderabad: After the poll pact with the Congress failed to materialise, the State unit of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Thursday released the first list of 17 seats to contest the forthcoming elections.

Enough time and options were given to the Congress to finalise the candidates under the seat sharing agreement. But the Congress failed to consider our requests, CPI (M) Telangana Secretary T Veerabhadram said here on Thursday.

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“We are left with no choice and decided to go it alone. We discussed several issues in the State committee meeting on Wednesday,” he said. The party had discussed different proposals from 24 constituencies. But eventually, 17 were finalized in the first list.

Hinting there could be a few changes, the CPI (M) leader said the list may go up to 20. If the CPI also could not seal a deal with Congress, then there may be some more changes in the list, he said, adding that the primary objective was to ensure the defeat of BJP candidates.

Regarding the rest of the seats, where BJP’s winnability chances were purportedly high, the CPI (M) would appeal to people to vote for the stronger contender either from Congress or the BRS, he said.

The CPI (M) had insisted on Wyra and Miryalguda tickets under alliance and warned that failing which it would contest all seats. Initially, the party sought two tickets from Bhadrachalam, Miryalguda, Madhira, Ibrahimpatnam and Palair. However, honouring the seat sharing agreement, the party had compromised on Palair and Bhadrachalam as well.

The list of constituencies which the CPI (M) announced it would contest from were Bhadrachalam (ST), Aswaraopet (ST), Palair, Madhira (SC), Wyra (ST), Khammam, Sathupalli (SC), Miryalagudem, Nalgonda, Nakrekal (SC), Bhongir, Huzurnagar, Kodad, Jangaon, Ibrahimpatnam, Patancheru and Musheerabad.