RasuLTS IN INDIA from thd* Paformation bulletin ~
The Revolutionary Communist Party of India has won two seats in the West Bongal Legisl.tive Asembly and retained its single seat in the Assam Legislative Assembly. In Bombay the candidate put up for the Provincial Assembly lost by polling 16,000 votes as against 20,000 votes polled by the rival condihte of the Congress in a four cornered contest.
Comrade Khagen Barbarua, A Kisan leader of Assam has been elected on the R.C.P.I. ticket. In Bengal, Comrade Anadi Das, a member of the C.C. of the Party defeated the speaker of the Legislative Ascembly from Howsah Constituency. Comrade Kandi Pal is the third party legislator electod to the Bengal Assembly.
The Revolutionary Socialist Party which had an electoral alliance with the Comtunist Party of India in Bengal and Kerala has won two seats (Comrades Tridib Chaudhuri in Bengal and Skrikantan Nair in Kerala) in the House of People (Parliament) and seven seats in the West Bengal Assembly.
The R.G.P.I. had put up 16 candidtes and one for Parliament in Assam. In this State (province) the C.P.I. has filed to secure any representation in the levislature. There was no united front of the left in Assan, In Bengal the R.C.P.I. was part of the leftist Front with the U.P.I., R.3.P., Vorward Bloc, ete. The R.C.P.I. has polled a good number of votes in \ssam.
In states like Bengal, Andhra and Kerala where the C.P.I. (dominated by its left) had put a programme of limited class struggle » the left has scored well, In Bengal and Andhra the 0.P,I. has emerged as the main opposition party in the State Legislature.
Dut in Maharashta where tho €.P.I. and the othor loft groups fought on the platform of the Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti - a multi-class democratic front created for rcalising the demand of linguistic state of liaharashtra there were big reverses, Tho Samiti’ front which socured 127 out of 264 seats in the State Legislature and 23 out of the A4 Parliamontary seats in the 1957 elections has secured only 32 seats for the legislature and none for Parliament, and the Praja Socialist Party, 9 for the legislature and ono for Parliament this time. The C.P.I. has got only 6 seats as against 18 in the old Assembly. It had returned four members to Parliament from this state.
Another significant feature of the third general olection in India is the emergence of commnal and reactionary parties like the Jan Sangh in some of the big states where the left had been traditionally weak, particularly because of the class collaborationist line of the C.P.I,
In Uttar Pradesh (the province of Nehru) the Jan Sangh (a Hindu communalist party) has emerged as the main opposition with 48 seats in a house of 430 and the Swatantra Party with 15 seats. Tho P.S.P. which was the main opposition in the old Assombly has had its strength roduced from 42 to 38, the Lohiate Socialist Party from 25 to 24 and the G.P.I. from 9 to 66
The Jan Sangh has become the main opposition party also in another foudal stronghold of liadhya Pradesh. It gained 41 seats out of 288 in the State Logislature. This is the only state where the Congress has failed to secure an absolute majority in the State Legislature.
In three other states, Rajas$¢}an, Gujarat and Bihar, the newly formed Swatantra Party (formed as a bulwark of anti-communist front in India) with the support of the most reactionary sections of the bourgeoisie and semi~feudal elements and has emerged as the main opposition, roplacing the P.3.P., particularly in Bihar and Gujarat.
In the two other States of Madras and Punjab, the regional separnti.t forces have become the main opposition to tho bourgeios Congress. The Dravida ltunetta Kazhagam in liadrg3s which stands for a sovereign state of Dravidastan Comprising the southern states (liadras, Korala, Andhra and Karnatak) and tho Akali Dal in Punjab, which stands for a separate Punjabi speaking (Sikh) state.
The emorgenee of the extreme roactionary forces and rout of the left in some states has provoked a big discussion among the ranks of the C.P.I. and the right wing Dangeite (Khrushchovite) line of supporting "progressive bourgeo— isie" as represented by Nehru is being oponly questioned by the ranks of the
whdian General @lections continued/
Tho class collaborationist line of the C.P.I. leadership was typically illustrated in the line taken by the stalinists in tho contest betwoen Defence Minister Krishna lienon and Acharya Kripalani in Bombay City, sponsored by the reactionary combination of the Jan Sangh, Sawatantra Party and the P.8.P., The C.P.I. leader, Dange, sabotaged the possibility of a left candidate being put u against both Kripalani and Ienon as demanded by the P..P., R.C.P.1., otc. and forced his own party and the Samiti front into having to support Ifonon against Kripalani.
The entire big business press and all tho reactionary politicians backed by the American lobby campaigned against Menon on the ground that he is a communist or a crypto-commnist (agent of China, etc.) but the left failod to expose the bourgeois character of Ilonon's (Nehru!s) socialism, Prime liinister Nehru made Moenon's election an issue of his personal prestige.
The result was that Monon, thanks to his pseudo—-loeftism was elected to Parliament from Bombay City by scoring a margin of 145,000 votes over Kripalani and paradoxically enough all the C.P.I. and other leftist candidates, with the vlitasy iG. ticn of ons, wore defeated in Bombay, the traditional stronghold of loft. aven the C.P.1. leader Dange lost his seat in Parliament to a Congress non-ontity by a margin of 40,000 votes, Tho poll results have seriously undermined the postion of the moderate leadership of the (.P.I. and the itandadiveits left wing is taking advantage of tho new situation and is making a big bid to capture the loadership of the party.
Tho left wing has identified itself with Peking in the present Sino- Soviet ideological conflict. In the immeciate future ther, is going to be a tussle for leadership on tho question of chosing a new General Secretary of the CoPeI, in place of Ajoy Ghosh, who died on tho eve of the general elections. Apart from the leadership question, the C.P.I, leadership is sharply divided on other important issues raised in the Sino-Soviet controversy, A debate on the 22nd Congress of the ©.P.5.U. postponed on the eve of tho general elections is scheduled to take place now.