CPM to contest 7 seats in HP polls

Shimla, Nov 23 (UNI) The CPM today announced its decision to contest seven seats in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections, as nominations for the 65 seats of the second phase of elections to be held on December 19 opened up today.

Sanjay Chauhan will be the party's candidate from Shimla constituency, Kapoor Singh Supahya from Dharamshala, Ramesh Chand from Anni, Satpal Singh from Sulah, Jagdish Thakur from Chachiot, Ram Krishan Sharma from Arki and Narayan Singh Chauhan form Banjar, party's politburo member Sitaram Yechury said at a press conference here.

He said the party was contesting the elections on the plank of defeat communal BJP and the Congress, which had been implementing anti-people policies during its five years in office.

In the remaining 58 assembly constituencies, the party would support the secular forces, Mr Yechury said.

He said the should there be an hung assembly in the state elections and if CPI(M) has a stake in government formation, the party would support a secular government.

Replying to a question on whether the party would have any track with the BSP, he said no one from it had approached the party so far, adding that the party was not averse to it.

''However, the BSP has not hesitated to join hands with communal forces as it did in Uttar Pradesh,'' he said.

He said the party's support for formation of any secular government would be on the basis of a common minimum programme.

Even the secular governments have to be reigned in order to ensure the interests of common man, farmer and workers were safeguarded, the CPM leader added.

UNI