By Firstdespatch Desk Feb 06, 2023
Agartala, Feb 6(FD): The opposition CPI (M) and Congress, who have come to an agreement of seat sharing for the upcoming Feb 16 assembly elections in Tripura today ruled out any possibility of hung assembly and asserted that the ruling BJP-IPFT alliance would not cross single digit.
In the elections for the sixty member assembly the state is witnessing a triangular contest, where BJP-IPFT alliance is fighting the Congress and CPI (M) and TIPRA Motha, a regional political party demanding separate greater Tipraland is contesting alone.
The leaders of Congress and CPI(M) In a joint Press conference at the Agartala Press Club said that people of the state are so aggrieved against the BJP for their five-year long misrule they would overwhelmingly cast their votes in favour of the Congress and CPI(M).
“The BJP is now shaky in fear and going through a outlandish condition that people would reject them and they would be confined to single digit in the elections”, CPI(M) party Secretary, Jiten Chowdhury said in the press conference.
Replying to a question about the possibility of a hung assembly and horse trading in post poll scenario, Chowdhury and Tripura Pradesh Chief, Birajit Sinha said when there is no possibility of hung assembly there is no question of horse trading.
Sinha said, “We would secure overwhelming majority and form the government and there is no possibility of hung assembly, so the question of horse trading does not arise”
Chowdhury said, “Both the Congress and CPI (M) had tried to reach an understanding for seat sharing with TIPRA Motha, but failed. We have a good understanding, so we are trying to reach an unofficial understanding to support the TIPRA Motha candidates, where they are strong and on the other hand we are also trying to get their support where their candidates are relatively weak. This initiative was taken so that the opposition vote is not divided”.
He alleged that the BJP came to power riding on the false promises of giving immense benefits to common people and generating employments at least 50,000 per year, but in their five years ‘misrule’ everything turned to be jumla and the government appeared to be an autocratic and ‘fascist’ government.
“They rigged all the elections held in their tenure including three tire Panchayats and civic polls. People lost the right to speak, organize rallies; voices of people were choked. They implicated the leaders and activists in false cases to create an atmosphere of horror. We are trying to come out of this suffocating condition and restore democracy”, Chowdhury said.
Giving an excuse to the decision of seat sharing with CPI (M), the TPCC chief said, “Democracy had withered away from Tripura as we had no democratic right of organizing political meetings because the bike born goons attacked us. They razed the party offices of both parties to grounds. As we need to restore democracy, we have joined hands with a party, with whom we have so many ideological differences”.
Stating that VJP would not only be ousted from Tripura, it would also be ousted from the country in the next parliamentary elections to be held next year, Sinha said.
Both the parties have made a joint appeal to the voters to vote against the saffron party to restore and save democracy. FD JK