Lok Sabha Polls: Kanhaiya Kumar fails to find mention in CPI’s first list of candidates

The Communist Party of India has left out student leader Kanhaiya Kumar from its first list of candidates for the Lok Sabha polls, indicating that its seat-sharing talks with the RJD in Bihar has hit roadblocks. The Left party on Friday said it has identified 53 seats in 24 states for the upcoming polls and announced names of 15 candidates.

"Our talks with the RJD are ongoing and we will take a call on Kanhaiya Kumar once those are finalised. Both the state and local units have identified a seat for him and we have to see how the talks with RJD pan out," said CPI leader D Raja, indicating that if the RJD doesn't concede to its demand, his party will have to go back to the drawing board.

CPI is believed to have asked for the Begusarai seat for Kanhaiya. Sources said Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad is against giving the student leader a seat as he believes that his caste, Bhumihar, would not go down well for his party, which is traditionally anti-upper caste.

Also, the RJD feels the only Left party having significant presence and support base in Bihar is the CPI(ML). Names of candidates have been declared for Mavelikkara, Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur and Wayyand in Kerala, Bastar South in Chattisgarh, Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh, Kathua in Jammu, Tumakuru in Karnataka, Parbhani and Shirdi in Maharashtra, Inner Manipur, Aska in Odisha, Sri Ganganagar, Udaipur and Chittogarh in Rajasthan.

The party has also formed an election manifesto committee with Raja as its convener.