Cong may want to go for early polls to cut losses: CPM

New Delhi: With Congress forming a panel headed by Rahul Gandhi for the next Lok Sabha poll preparation, CPI(M) on Friday said the general election could be advanced as the ruling party would want to "cut their losses" in major states where it is in power. "Their (Congress) house in not in order. All the states where they have more MPs are in a state of crisis, like in Andhra Pradesh. They may want to go in for early polls to cut their losses," senior CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury said.

He was asked whether the Left parties wanted to dislodge the UPA-II government and therefore the Congress could advance the elections scheduled in 2014. "If they want to do that, the reason is not us or our opposition. None of us are in favour of forcing an early election. Their mandate is for five years," he said.

Asked to comment on Rahul Gandhi leading the Congress campaign machinery, Yechury said "the party had given him the command earlier itself and now it is only a reiteration." Rahul was on Thursday made the head of the Congress Coordination Committee for 2014 Lok Sabha polls, indicating his growing profile in the party ahead of the general elections.

To a question whether early election would help the Left in West Bengal, he said "our position will be better in West Bengal. The real face of the Trinamool Congress government is being exposed. Every week there are instances of police firing on the people, there are instances of atrocities against women and the issues afflicting the people and their development are being completely ignored."

In Kerala too, he said, the situation facing CPI(M) and the Left was "absolutely fine. And now we have a new ally in Defence Minister AK Antony....He made a very candid statement without any ambiguity at all."

On Wednesday, Antony criticised the ruling Congress-led UDF and praised the earlier CPI(M)-led LDF regime, saying "During 2004-11, when the UPA was in power at the Centre and the state was under the LDF rule, I had received total cooperation from the state government in my efforts to set up defence-related units. Now I don't have confidence to bring in such units to the state. For getting such units, there requires a positive atmosphere."