COMMUNIST SUCCESS

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28231, 20 March 1957, Page 13

COMMUNIST SUCCESS

State Won In Indian Poll

(Rec. 8 p.m.)

BOMBAY, March 18. The first Communist Government in India may be formed in the Kerala State as a result of the Indian General Election. The Communists have so far won 56 seats in the State—l 6 ahead of the Congress Party—with seven results still to be declared.

The Communists, who need 64 seats for an absolute majority in the coastal State's legislature, expect to win four more seats and are counting on the support of five of the six independents so far returned.

Mr A. K. Gopalan, leader of the Communist group in the Indian Lower House of Parliament, has said that if a Communist Government is formed in Kerala it would implement the second five-year plan sincerely and honestly. The Congress Party gained another 18 seats in the Lower House and 55 in various State Assemblies during the counting of votes today. The party has ■ taken 213 of the 283 seats announced In the Lower House, and 1603 out of the 2447 announced in the State Assemblies. The remaining 70 Lower House seats announced so far have been shared by the Communist Barty with 18, the Praia Socialists with 12, other splinter groups with 24 and Independent candidates with 15. In the State Assemblies the strength of the other parties so far is: Communist Party and allies 146, Praja Socialists 169, other splinter groups 295, Independents 234.

Fine For Attack On Power Pylon

(Rec. 8 p.m.) LONDON, March 18. A young Middlesex farmer, John Bryn Jones, who attacked an atomic electricity pylon on his father’s farm with a sledgehammer, was today fined £lOO for "unlawful and malicious damage.” The pylon was one of four erected on the Jones's farm by the Electricity Authority to carry nuclear-generated power to Ports-

Jones unscrewed some of the bolts on the pylon and struck the base several blows with a sledgehammer, causing the pylon to list over towards a railway line.

The Jones family complained that the authority had offered