Comrade Ramnaresh Ram’s 1st Memorial Day
CPI(ML) commemorated the first Memorial Day of Comrade Ramnaresh Ram, veteran of the communist movement in the country and one of the founder leaders of revolutionary peasant movement of Bhojpur, on 26 October 2011. A pledge taking meeting was organised in Arrah on this occasion, while his memorial was inaugurated in Sahar. A booklet on Comrade Ram Naresh’s life and works was released at the Pledge Meeting. A minute’s silence was observed in the memory of Comrade Ramnaresh Ram. The meeting at Ara was addressed by CPI(ML) Politburo member Swadesh Bhattacharya. Sudhir Suman introduced the booklet which was released on the occasion. Comrades Rameshwar Prasad, President AIALA, Dhirendra Jha, Gen. Sec. AIALA, Party CCM Amar, Ex-MLA Arun Singh, Party Bihar State Committee member Sudama Prasad, and many other leaders were present on this occasion. Agrenand Chaudhary of Swami Sahajanand Saraswati Vichar Manch, Prof. Parasnath Singh, Prof. Ramtavkya Singh, Prof. Tungnath Chaudhary, Dr. BK Prasad, Dr. Ashutosh Prasad, Dr. Suniti Prasad and many other prominent citizens of the region were also present.
Comrade Ramnaresh Ram’s memorial was inaugurated at the banks of Sone river in Sahar block headquarter, by Comrade Swadesh Bhattacharya. The memorial is being built on the land donated by party’s activist Manager Thakur who himself hails from the rural poor background. AIALA District President Siddhanath Ram hoisted the flag. Kamta Prasad Singh of AIALA spoke of the revolutionary struggles which achieved social dignity for the rural poor and resisted feudal terror. Comrade Dhirendra Jha addressed the gathering at the inaugural function. Peoples’ poet Krishna Kumar Nirmohi recited poems in memory of Comrade Ramnaresh Ram. Comrade Ramkishore Rai conducted the inauguration meeting.
Nearly 350 political prisoners in Ara jail held a memorial meeting led by Comrades Digree Yadav, Satish, Mahendra Singh and
Hareram.
Panchayat and Local Body Elections in TN
In the Local body elections in Tamil Nadu we contested in 170 places for various posts, from Village Panchayat ward members to Corporation ward members: Pudukottai (34), Kanyakumari (32), Tanjore-Nagappattinam (29), Tiruvallore (15), Tirunelveli (12), Salem (10), Madurai (9), Coimbatore (8), Villupuram (8), Cuddalore(4), Kanchipuram(4), Dindigul(3), Virudunagar(3), Kirshnagiri (1).
Among the 105 Village Panchayat Ward posts we contested, we won at 26 places. We contested in 22 panchayats, for the post of panchayat president, securing nearly 4000 votes in all. We won 2 seats, one from Tiruvallore (at Nerkunram, where a woman candidate has won) and one from Pudukottai (Periyakottai). Apart from these, a woman candidate (a CPIM dissident) supported by us won one panchayat president post from Kanyakumari.
Altogether we contested in 26 Town Panchayat ward member posts, of which we secured 2, one each from Kanyakumari and Dindigul. In two places, one in Kanyakumari (candidate is a leader of fishing community) secured 3984 votes and another one from Pudukkottai, we contested for Town Panchayat President Posts. In Cuddalore district we contested for the post of Virudhachalam Municipal Chairman where we got 366 votes. We contested for 6 Block Council wards, securing between 100 to 600 votes. From Tirunelveli and Salem Corporation we contested 7 Corporation Ward member Posts and secured 550 votes. 31% of the contestants were women.
We won the following seats: at Pudukkottai - one panchayat president post (Periya kottai – reserved, SC post) and 10 panchayat ward members; Kanyakumari - 1 panchayat president (at Nettangode – a woman), 3 panchayat ward members and 2 Town panchayat councilors; Tiruvallore - one panchayat President (Nerkunram- a dalit woman), 3 panchayat ward members; Tanjore-Nagapattinam - 5 panchayat ward members; Dindigul, one TP Councillor and 1 panchayat ward member; Villupuram, 1 panchayat ward member; Tirunelveli - 2 panchayat ward members; Virudhu Nagar - 1 panchayat ward member.
In all, our performance has improved since the last panchayat elections. We secured 26 panchayat ward members (13 in the last elections); 2 panchayat president posts as well as 1 supported by us, while in the last election we won a single post. Whereas the last time we could not get any Town panchayat ward member posts, this time we won three.