Hyderabad:  The CPI announced it would not contest the upcoming bye-elections to seven Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh even as it asserted that its friendly ties with TDP will continue.

CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan made the announcement after a meeting with TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu at the latter's residence.

Bardhan's assertions came in the backdrop of CPI-M's decision to contest from two seats (Station Ghanpur and Kovur) in the March 18 bye-elections and indications that it had almost severed its relationship with TDP, the main Opposition party in the Congress-ruled Andhra Pradesh.

CPI state leadership has taken exception to the "unilateral decision" of its Left partner to jump into the fray even as the TDP leadership said it would take up the issue with CPI-M.

Bardhan will leave for Karimnagar to take part in the four-day state CPI conference beginning tomorrow.

Emerging out of the meeting, Bardhan announced that his party would stay out of the contest and support TDP. "Our friendly ties (with TDP) will continue. We will jointly fight on people's issues," he said.

The CPI leader expressed his party's opposition to the National Counter Terrorism Centre, saying it was against the federal spirit enshrined in the Constitution.

Tags: Andhra Pradesh. CPI not contesting in the bye-elections, Hyderabad, South, TDP