Ahead of the upcoming elections in the states of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand next year, the CPI(ML) Liberation party plans to leverage the successes achieved by the youth wing AISA during recent protests near Jantar Mantar involving Generation Z. To this end, a nationwide initiative titled 'School theek karo, shiksha sudharo' (Fix schools, improve education) will be launched.
This campaign focuses on reforming the education system, covering levels from primary to higher education. The launch is scheduled for Teacher's Day on Saturday, and a series of public meetings addressing student issues will run concurrently. The first meeting will take place in Patna on Sunday, where a large gathering of youth, teachers, parents, civil society, and stakeholders is expected to exchange views on education, including the National Education Policy, examination systems, and material leaks.
The meeting in Patna will feature the General Secretary of CPI(ML)L, Dipankar Bhattacharya, and AISA President, Neha Bora. Furthermore, the left party intends to strengthen the demand to lower the voting age from 18 to 16, citing the growing awareness and assertiveness of young men and women in this age group, which was evident during recent student demonstrations.
Similar gatherings will be held in Uttar Pradesh in cities such as Lucknow, Varanasi, Rae Bareli, Mirzapur, Allahabad, Gorakhpur, Azamgarh, and Faizabad between September 9 and 18.
Bhattacharya noted that the Generation Z protests have drawn attention to the examination system, and the current goal is to maintain the momentum created. He stated that the 'school theek karo, shiksha sudharo' campaign will be a civic action aimed at demanding quality education from the authorities through petitions and grassroots mobilization.
Given the elections scheduled for 2027 in states like Uttar Pradesh, CPI(ML)L plans to participate in the Punjab elections, fielding candidates in constituencies where they have grassroots presence, primarily in the Malwa region. The party also intends to contest in some constituencies in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, either as part of a larger left bloc if an alliance with other parties can be formed, or independently.
As part of its mobilization efforts, CPI(ML)L will also hold a major farmers' conference on September 20-21 in Punjab to discuss key issues affecting agriculture and labor, including the impact of the India-US trade agreement on this sector.