The Left parties - CPI, CPM and Forward Bloc will field their candidates from a total of 44 constituencies in the forthcoming Karnataka Assembly elections.
CPM will contest from 18 constituencies, CPI from 16 and Forward Bloc from six constituencies.
The remaining constituencies are yet to be decided. Left parties had contested in 16 constituencies in the 2008 Assembly polls, CPM State Secretary G V Sreerama Reddy told reporters on Wednesday. Rajajinagar, KR Puram, Davangere, Hospet and Channapatna are among the new constituencies from where the Left parties will field their candidates.
Reddy said the decision on pre-poll and post-poll alliance with non-Congress and non-BJP parties will be taken only after the announcement of the election date. Left parties normally used to have pre-poll alliance with the JD(S).
The scene this time has changed with the advent of two more regional parties - Karnataka Janata Party of B S Yeddyurappa and BSR Congress of B Sriramulu.
Signature campaign
Reddy further said the State units of these parties will conduct a signature campaign from January 10 to 16 demanding right to food. The plan is to collect five lakh signatures in Karnataka. Pandals will be put up at all taluk headquarters to collect signatures from the public, he added.