Patna, May 30: Senior CPM leader Prakash Karat today stressed the need for Left unity in the state while refusing to comment on possible electoral alliance with JDU or RJD for the Assembly polls.

"I am saying the party would give priority to Left unity in the state. Left parties should fight the Assembly polls unitedly. Any decision (regarding alliance with JDU or RJD) would be taken by the state committee that is scheduled to be held on June 9 and 10 in the state capital," Karat told reporters here.

Karat, who was flanked by state secretary Awadhesh Kumar and other senior party leaders Vijaykant Thakur, Sarvoday Sharma, Arun Mishra and others, came to take part in the state-level general body meeting of the party. The meeting was convened to discuss the party's decisions taken at its 21st congress held at Vishakhapatnam between April 14 and 19.

When pointed out that the party had left the options open for alliance, Karat was quick to add: "Don't put your words in my mouth. There is no question of either opening or closing the door. All I am saying, at this juncture, is that the state committee would deliberate about the party's course of action in the state (with regard to the Assembly polls)."

Karat, however, termed the efforts of the Janata parivar for the merger as "good".

But going by Karat's tone and tenor at the general body meeting, attended by members of the state- and district-level committees, the party would go for widening and strengthening of the Left and democratic fronts to fight against capitalism.

The other two Left parties - CPI-ML (Liberation) and CPI - have divergent views on forging an alliance.

While CPI-ML (Liberation) is in favour of Left unity and is not ready to go along with JDU or RJD but the CPI is not ready to commit anything that it would not align with JDU or the RJD.