THE Maharashtra state committee of the All India Democratic Women’s Association held its meeting last month in the working class city of Solapur, amidst great enthusiasm. It was held in the wake of the recent municipal corporation elections, in which many women candidates of the AIDWA contested on the Left symbol and gave a tough fight.

THAT the opposition parties winning even one or two wards in municipal elections is ‘banned’ in West Bengal has been proved once again on May 14, when seven municipalities went to polls. As four of them were in the hills and paramilitary forces were deployed during polling, the voting there was peaceful. On the contrary, widespread violence was reported from all the three towns in the plains that went to vote – Pujali in the South 24-Parganas, Domkal in Murshidabad and Raiganj in the North Dinajpur.

PROTESTING against the decision of the TRS government to shift the dharna chowk near Indira Park to the outskirts of Hyderabad, the Left parties, including the CPI(M), and several mass organisations conducted a massive ‘Occupy Dharna Chowk’ on May 15.  The conspiracy of the ruling TRS to organise a counter-protest for shifting of the dharna chowk under the garb of local residents and walkers’ association, to portray it as a conflict between them and protestors against shifting of the dharna chowk, and the impropriety of giving permissions to different groups with mutually contradictory dema

A VIBRANT march of red volunteers was organised in Kollam city observing the centenary of the Great October Revolution. 140 platoons from 140 local committees marched to the city. Around 5000 volunteers participated in the march which began from the QAC grounds. It culminated into a massive rally at Asramam Maidan. CPI(M) general Secretary Sitaram Yechury along with state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan received salute from the volunteers.

NEITHER military nor militancy is solution to Kashmir issue. It is a political issue which can be settled only through political initiatives, said Mohd Yousuf Tarigami, CPI(M) senior leader in a statement issued on May 5.