Left parties to contest 30 seats in MCD polls

New Delhi, Mar 14 (UNI) The Left parties in Delhi today released a list of 30 seats on which its candidates would contest in the MCD polls, scheduled to be held on April 5.

Addressing a press conference here, secretary of the Delhi CPI Amarjeet Kaur reiterated that the Left parties, together with the parties like the Jan Morcha and Nationalist Congress party which had formed the Pragatisheel Jan Morcha for ther MCD polls, were seeking to provide an alternative to the BJP as well as the Congress.

''In keeping with this resolve, we will try to coordinate with other parties of the PJM to ensure that there is no conflict with them in our seats,''she said.

She said the Left parties would support candidates of non-Congress and non-BJP parties wherever their own candidates were not contesting to ensure the defeat for the Congress and the BJP.

Speaking on the occasion, the secretary of the CPI(M) P M S Grewal said the main issues on which the Left parties would contest the polls were sealing and demolition, in-situ regularisation of slums, regularisation of unauthorised colonies, lack of basic amenities like water, electricity, proper drainage, deteriorating health services, the poor conditions in Government schools, specially the MCD schools etc.

''We appeal to all the secular parties to support our candidates to ensure defeat of the BJP and the Congress in the Delhi MCD,''he said.

According to the list, the CPI would contest from 15 seats, the CPI(M) from 7, the IAFB from 7 and the RSP on one seat.

Of the 30 seats, 12 will be contested by Women.

''That 12 of the 30 seats have been earmarked for women shows our commitment to bringing women to seats of power unlike many of the other parties where women form a miniscule percentage of the contestants,''Mr Grewal said.

UNI