Once bitten, twice shy: Left parties tread cautiously as Congress tries for pre-poll alliance in Telangana

The Congress has already sent feelers to the CPI to explore means to forge an electoral alliance.

“The Congress sent an emissary to us. We have in principle decided to have a poll pact since we are also part of the Opposition front, INDIA, at the national level. But our acceptance to talk should not be construed as our willingness to be ill-treated,” Sambasiva Rao said.

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Haunting betrayal 

The tone and tenor of his voice revealed that the CPI and CPI(M) are not ready to face any beytrayal by the Congress. With their egos already bruised, they do not want to be treated shoddily or condescendingly.

“We are game if the Congress treats us with respect and considers our demands honestly while sharing seats. But if it shows supercilious behavior or backstabs us, it could count us out,” Sambasiva Rao said, referring to the Congress fielding rebel candidates in 2018.

In 2018, as part of the grand alliance, Mahakutami, the CPI had aligned with the Congress, but the CPI(M) went alone.

The humiliation the communists suffered at the hands of the KCR continues to haunt them.

“It was a bitter experience,” Sambasiva Rao said, recalling KCR announcing the list of BRS candidates for 115 of the 119 Assembly seats.

Both communist parties hoped that KCR would reciprocate their largesse during the Munugode election in November last year. They expected at least 10 seats, but when they sent feelers, they were informed that they could not expect more than one seat each.

After releasing its list of candidates, the BRS is understood to have offered two MLC seats immediately after making two of its legislators resign. But the communist leaders decided to end their dalliance with the BRS and go with the Congress.

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CPI’s demand

“We have strength in Kothagudem, Nalgonda, Karimnagar, Adilabad coal-belt, and Rangareddy. It is natural that we will seek seats in those districts. I cannot say which seats in each district at this stage, but the Congress has to be liberal in accommodating our request,” he said.

Sources told South First that the CPI had sought Kothagudem, Bellampally, Munugode, Husnabad, and one more during the preliminary talks that the Congress emissary on Sunday, 27 August. Samabsiva Rao and former CPI state secretary Chada Venkata Reddy met the Congress emissary.

Preliminary discussions between the CPI(M) and the Congress are yet to take place.

In the 2018 elections, the Congress, which led the grand alliance in which CPI was a partner, won 19 seats with a 28.43 percent vote share, which included the CPI votes.

Out of 19 seats originally won by the Congress, the left parties had some presence in seven segments: Nakrekal, Palair, Bhadrachalam, Yellandu, Pinapaka, Madhira, and Munugode. The CPI successfully backed the TDP in Sattupalli and Aswaraopet.

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In Kodad and Ibrahimpatnam, the CPI(M) can swing votes. In the 2018 elections, the CPI(M), which contested alone, garnered 9,106 votes in Ibrahimpatnam, and 3,381 votes in Kodad.

Though the CPI’s “modest” request is for only five seats, the Congress is not ready to allot Husnabad. Husnabad is the home constituency of CPI former state secretary Chada Venkata Reddy and he has already started campaigning there.

But former Congress MP Ponnam Prabhakar and former MLA Aligirreddy Praveen Reddy are keen on contesting from there on a Congress ticket. They are putting pressure on the party against allotting the seat to the CPI.