GUWAHATI, Oct 30 - The �grand alliance� model adopted by major opposition parties for the ongoing Bihar elections could be ideal to jointly fight against the BJP in next year�s Assam Assembly polls, according to the Left.
�In Bihar the major opposition parties were able to join hands and form a grand alliance to unitedly take on the ruling NDA. The BJP is the main enemy of democracy and there is a need for all anti-BJP forces everywhere to come closer and fight unitedly. The major opposition parties in Bihar understood this and acted on it. A similar model could very well be replicated in Assam,� Communist Party of India (CPI) Assam State Council secretary Munin Mahanta told this newspaper.
The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)-led grand alliance in Bihar, formed ahead of the polls, has the Congress, along with the CPI, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) or the CPI(M), and the Communist Party of India (Marxist Leninist) Liberation, as its constituents.
The ruling NDA in Bihar comprises the Janata Dal (United), the BJP and some smaller parties.
The Congress party in Assam had a few months ago given a call for an opposition grand alliance here. Following that, the AIUDF had announced that it would contest the 2021 Assam Assembly elections in alliance with the Congress.
The principal opposition party has also held discussions with the Left forces in this regard.
�We will be part of the alliance. What shape it will take, whether it will be given the title �grand alliance� or something else, what will be the seat sharing arrangement, whether there will be a joint manifesto or common minimum programme, and other such details will become clear later. But we want a united effort to defeat the BJP and oust it from power in 2021,� Mahanta said.
He said that the prospective members of the opposition alliance in Assam must display maturity on matters like seat sharing and formulation of electoral strategy.
�Seats should not come in the way of forming a successful alliance. All must be ready to make sacrifices for achieving the greater goal of defeating the BJP,� said the CPI leader.
The CPI(ML) Liberation also believes that the Bihar model, if emulated in Assam, could prove to be a game changer.
�We need a strong, united and bold alliance to defeat the BJP in next year�s Assembly polls. What the RJD, Congress and Left have done in Bihar is noteworthy,� CPI(ML) Liberation central committee member Bibek Das said.
When pointed out that the CPI(M) in Assam has made its reservations clear about formally joining any alliance and has expressed willingness to go only for seat adjustments, Das said, �There is not much difference between having seat adjustments and formally becoming a constituent of a front. The first condition of an alliance is seat sharing. As for our party, we will definitely put some conditions before the Congress, but we believe that it is important to take on the BJP unitedly.�
GUWAHATI, Oct 30 - The �grand alliance� model adopted by major opposition parties for the ongoing Bihar elections could be ideal to jointly fight against the BJP in next year�s Assam Assembly polls, according to the Left.
�In Bihar the major opposition parties were able to join hands and form a grand alliance to unitedly take on the ruling NDA. The BJP is the main enemy of democracy and there is a need for all anti-BJP forces everywhere to come closer and fight unitedly. The major opposition parties in Bihar understood this and acted on it. A similar model could very well be replicated in Assam,� Communist Party of India (CPI) Assam State Council secretary Munin Mahanta told this newspaper.
The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)-led grand alliance in Bihar, formed ahead of the polls, has the Congress, along with the CPI, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) or the CPI(M), and the Communist Party of India (Marxist Leninist) Liberation, as its constituents.
The ruling NDA in Bihar comprises the Janata Dal (United), the BJP and some smaller parties.
The Congress party in Assam had a few months ago given a call for an opposition grand alliance here. Following that, the AIUDF had announced that it would contest the 2021 Assam Assembly elections in alliance with the Congress.
The principal opposition party has also held discussions with the Left forces in this regard.
�We will be part of the alliance. What shape it will take, whether it will be given the title �grand alliance� or something else, what will be the seat sharing arrangement, whether there will be a joint manifesto or common minimum programme, and other such details will become clear later. But we want a united effort to defeat the BJP and oust it from power in 2021,� Mahanta said.
He said that the prospective members of the opposition alliance in Assam must display maturity on matters like seat sharing and formulation of electoral strategy.
�Seats should not come in the way of forming a successful alliance. All must be ready to make sacrifices for achieving the greater goal of defeating the BJP,� said the CPI leader.
The CPI(ML) Liberation also believes that the Bihar model, if emulated in Assam, could prove to be a game changer.
�We need a strong, united and bold alliance to defeat the BJP in next year�s Assembly polls. What the RJD, Congress and Left have done in Bihar is noteworthy,� CPI(ML) Liberation central committee member Bibek Das said.
When pointed out that the CPI(M) in Assam has made its reservations clear about formally joining any alliance and has expressed willingness to go only for seat adjustments, Das said, �There is not much difference between having seat adjustments and formally becoming a constituent of a front. The first condition of an alliance is seat sharing. As for our party, we will definitely put some conditions before the Congress, but we believe that it is important to take on the BJP unitedly.�
