Can Che’s daughter give CPM a boost in Bagepalli town?

Maqsood Maniyar | NT

Bengaluru: In an unusual turn of events, the CPI(M) on Thursday took socialist revolutionary Che Guevara’s daughter Aleida to Bagepalli town, one of the places from where the party would be contesting in the coming Assembly polls in the hope that she can swing voters for the party. A pediatrician and activist, Aleida Guevara has been visiting the country on the request of CPI(M) and other affiliated leftist organisations, including trade unions and student groups.

Guevara also made a speech at the Bharat Scouts and Guides building in Bengaluru. It was translated from Spanish to English by an interpreter. She attended Centre of Indian Trade Union’s (CITU’s) 17th annual All India conference in Palace Grounds on Thursday.

CPI(M) leaders deny that the move had electoral significance, insisting that she was being merely honoured at the town in Chikkaballapura district. However, it was surprising that Guevara was asked to fly to Bengaluru early in the morning and then make her way to Bagepalli, which is 100 kilometres away from the city merely to be honoured.

She then addressed a party programme in Bagepalli, where Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had addressed a rally back in September. The Communist party has some presence in the east of the state in Chikkaballapura and Kolar districts.

Moreover, Bagepalli is the constituency from where former CPI(M) MLA GV Sriram Reddy tasted victory twice, in 1994 and 2004. He contested the 2018 Assembly elections as well but lost to Congress’ SN Subareddy by more than 14,000 votes.

The former CPI(M) MLA, who had organised the party in the erstwhile, undivided Kolar district, passed away in April last year, paving the way for Dr Anil Kumar to contest from Bagepalli in the upcoming Assembly polls. Kumar is the only candidate the party has declared so far.