By Firstdespatch Desk Oct 01, 2026
Agartala, Oct 1 (FD) Tripura minister Sudhangshu Das on September 30 criticised the Congress over its allegations concerning Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, claiming that the party was attempting to attribute its electoral setbacks to external factors instead of addressing organisational shortcomings.
Das said the Congress, under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, had suffered repeated electoral defeats and alleged that the party was questioning electoral processes out of frustration.
“The Congress party, under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, has been losing elections continuously. They have lost more than 96 elections,” Das said.
The minister also referred to the recent Village Council and Village Committee elections in Tripura, including elections held in areas under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC).
According to Das, 4,597 seats were contested across the state, while the Congress fielded candidates in fewer than 400 seats. He claimed the party contested around 325 seats and did not nominate candidates for the remaining constituencies.
“My point is simple — where you could not even provide candidates, naturally you will lose the election,” Das said.
He questioned the Congress’s allegations of vote manipulation, arguing that the party had not contested a substantial number of seats in the local body elections.
“When the NDA wins, you say the votes were stolen. Why did you not field candidates?” the minister said.
Das’s remarks came amid an ongoing political debate over the functioning of the Election Commission and allegations raised by opposition parties regarding electoral processes. FD JK