CPM meet to start on stormy note

New Delhi: Sparks are set to fly in the CPI(M) politburo meeting to be held on Monday over a tactical shift in the party’s political line of aligning with the Congress and other secular parties in the run up to the 2019 general elections.

Desperate to remain relevant in the national political scenario, the CPI(M) is in the process of reviewing and debating its electoral strategy with the Bengal faction, led by Sitaram Yechury, in favour of an alliance with other parties (read the Congress) and the Kerala faction, led by Prakash Karat opposed to it.

Sources told this newspaper that in case the two warring factions failed to arrive at a consensus in the meeting of the 16-member PB, which is dominated by the Kerala faction, two draft political resolutions with divergent views on the political-tactical line would be put forward before the Central Committee which will meet on October 14-15.

The draft resolution will be finalised by the Central Committee in January next year and put in public domain for discussions before the Party Congress finalises it in April.

Debates have been raging within the party over electoral alliance with the Congress following the drubbing in the 2016 West Bengal Assembly polls.

The architect of the CPI(M)-Congress deal, Mr Yechury was blocked by the party’s Central Committee and the Polit Bureau from getting a third term in Rajya Sabha. The forthcoming party Congress will also decide whether Mr Yechury would get a second term as party general secretary.

The Kerala faction of the party led by CM Pinarayi Vijayan and former party boss, Mr Karat are reportedly against giving Mr Yechury a second run, sources said.

However, the Bengal faction of the party seemed to be in favour of Mr Yechury. It may recalled that the political-tactical line adopted by the CPI(M) at the previous Party Congress, held in 2015 was against joining forces with the Congress. The party decided to main an equidistance from both Congress and BJP.

Despite the resolution the CPI(M) had an electoral understanding with it in the 2016 West Bengal assembly election. The CPI(M)-led Left Front, however, faced a drubbing in the polls and was relegated to third position, behind the ruling TMC and the Congress in its erstwhile bastion.

With the experiment falling through the anti-Yechury camp tore to shreds the move at a polit bureau meet held after West Bengal polls