Date:02/07/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/07/02/stories/2004070206061100.htm

National

Polit Bureau of CPI(M) to meet on July 11

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, JULY 1. The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) will meet here on July 11 to analyse the Lok Sabha elections and also to assess the latest political developments.

Although the Polit Bureau and the Central Committee met the week after the May 13 results, the focus was on the invitation extended by the Congress to the CPI-M to join the United Progressive Alliance Government.

Polit Bureau member, Prakash Karat told The Hindu here that the daylong meeting will be the first exercise by the party to analyse the verdict of the Lok Sabha polls and subsequent developments.

The party is also likely to discuss the preparations for the Assembly elections in Maharashtra due to be held during September-October. The CPI-M contested the Lok Sabha elections with an understanding with the CPI and the Peasants and Workers Party. The CPI-M State Secretariat is to meet early next week to initiate talks with other Left parties.

The Congress plans to have a broader understanding in the State to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena combine. However, the Congress has not yet made any move to initiate talks with the Left parties.

The CPI-M's Central Committee will meet here for three days from July 30. It is to take a view on conducting organisational polls and the next party Congress. The last party Congress was held at Hyderabad in March 2002. The party requires nearly six months to complete the organisational polls starting from the branch level upwards.