CPM Leads Opposition Coordination Against Electoral Roll Revision

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It is a dream comeback for the CPM, relegated to the sidelines of national politics for over a decade. With its combined strength in both Houses of Parliament countable on one hand, the party has emerged as the rallying force behind the agitation against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.Despite its declining electoral fortunes, the CPM has brought parties beyond the Congress-led INDIA bloc together around the agitation. By uniting forces across the political spectrum, the party has reasserted its role in opposition coordination at a critical juncture in national politics. CPM general secretary M A Baby’s letter to opposition leaders, urging a united response to developments involving the Election Commission, proved decisive.He even reached out to the party’s bete noire in West Bengal, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, seeking her support for the agitation. Baby also met AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal to broaden the campaign, despite the latter’s differences with the Congress leadership. “After reports emerged about the SIR row, our available politburo (PB) realised on September 23 that the issue could trigger a paradigm shift in the agitation against the Election Commission and the Union government,” Baby told TNIE. The PB decided to reach out to all non-NDA parties, including those outside the INDIA bloc, to build a common platform for joint action,he said. The outreach included the Shiromani Akali Dal, Biju Janata Dal, Makkal Needhi Maiam, AAP and Trinamool Congress, among others. This was followed by an INDIA bloc coordination meeting on September 30, where opposition leaders agreed on a joint programme of political action against the SIR and the EC. The October 10 protest in Delhi brought together leaders from parties often divided over political strategy and their ties with the Congress. The participation of Pinarayi Vijayan,Manik Sarkar,Mamata and Kejriwal underscored the breadth of the mobilisation.