The Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), an ally of the Opposition Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) in Bihar, is planning to contest around 45 seats of the total 243 in the Assembly election due later this year.

The CPI(M-L) will also launch a campaign, ‘Badlo Sarkar-Badlo Bihar’ (change the government, change Bihar)‘, across the State soon.

Addressing mediapersons in Patna on Tuesday (June 10, 2025), CPI(M-L) national general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said: “Our party has been making preparations to contest 40-45 Assembly seats in the upcoming election. In the coming days, there would be talks on seat sharing and the agendas on which the Mahagathbandhan would contest the poll.”

Won 12 in 2020 election

In the last 2020 Assembly election, the party won 12 seats out of 19 it contested. The CPI(M-L), the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) together won 16 out of the total 29 seats in the election. The CPI had contested six seats, while the CPI(M) fought on four seats. Both won two seats each. In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the CPI(M-L) won two seats of Ara and Karakat of the total 40 seats.

‘No governance’

The CPI(M-L) slammed the NDA governments led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Centre and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in the State on national security and law and order issues.

“Today there is no government as such in the State. Law and order has collapsed and the people of the State are caught between crime and corruption,” Mr. Bhattacharya alleged. “Cases of rape have become common, and feudal atrocities have increased in the name of development and good governance in the State. People of the State now are trying to get rid of this oppressive government,” he said.

The party leader said the CPI(M-L) would run the Badlo Sarkar-Badlo Bihar campaign from June 18 to June 27, especially in the four regions of Shahabad, Saran-Champaran, Magadh, and Muzaffarpur to Darbhanga.

Calls for special session

The CPI(M-L) leader criticised the Modi-led government over its foreign policy too. “The Modi government had sent seven delegations to 32 countries (following Operation Sindoor), but India’s international isolation continues. They [the Central government] should call a special session of Parliament to discuss the Pahalgam terrorist incident and the situation thereafter,” he said. “The BJP-led NDA government has weakened the country on every front, especially on issues related with national security and foreign policy,” he said.

On the ongoing (anti-Maoist) ‘Operation Kagar’ in Chhattisgarh, Mr. Bhattacharya said: “It’s all state- sponsored violence. The five Left parties of the country have written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 9 demanding an immediate stay on the ongoing operation.”

Polit Bureau member Dhirendra Jha, party legislators Gopal Ravidas and Sandeep Saurabh, party MLC Sashi Yadav, and senior State leaders K.D. Yadav and Umesh Singh were present on the occasion.