- Abhijit Nath, NET Correspondent, Tripura
Agartala, June 26, 2022 : Soon after the announcement of the by-election results in Tripura on Sunday, the state’s ruling BJP and ADC’s ruling TIPRA Motha and opposition political parties- CPIM, Congress and Trinamool Congress started blaming each other on different perspectives.
Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief spokesperson Subrata Chakraborty claimed that the opposition CPIM and Congress are forming a shadow alliance to revive in power in the ensuing assembly elections of 2023. In a press conference here in Agartala, Chakraborty said “In this by-election, Congress revived in 6-Agartala seat with the help of CPIM. These two political parties are boosting an unethical understanding or can be termed as a shadow alliance.”
“These two opposition political parties are making attempts together for the upcoming general assembly election in 2023 maintaining secrecy. However, Tripura’s people have understood the strategies of these two parties and it is just a matter of time when these political parties will be isolated completely,” he added.
Pradesh Congress leader and elected MLA Sudip Roy Barman claimed that the ruling BJP failed to accept the mandate of the electorates in this by-election and resulted in hurling stones at the Congress Bhavan here in Agartala city on Sunday afternoon.
“After announcement of results, we arrived at the party office and all of a sudden, 20 bike-borne hooligans backed by BJP and started pelting stones at Congress Bhavan. A Congress worker was even stabbed in the belly. Even our state president Birajit Sinha also sustained grievous injuries. More than 7 persons were injured”, said Roy Barman, who defeated BJP candidate Dr Ashok Sinha in the by-polls.
Roy Barman, who is elected for the sixth consecutive term, asked all the opposition political parties to unite together and prepare strategies in dealing with the BJP in the upcoming assembly election.
Tripura ADC’s ruling party – TIPRA Motha chairman Pradyot Kishore Debbarman said “The people’s verdict in the by-election is very good. The party which wasn’t on the ground a month back, it had challenged for achieving the number one position and left CPIM and Trinamool Congress back, today we reached in the second position. It is for the first time in the history that a regional political party contested outside 20 ST-reserved seats and threw a challenge to the ruling party. I appeal to the workers of WTF, YTF and TIPRA, not to feel bad. After six months, we will surely achieve victory.”
Meanwhile, the Left Front committee of Tripura on Sunday stated that the by-election results are unexpected and accused ruling Bharatiya Janata Party for resorting unscrupulous power to terrorize voters ahead of by-election in four assembly constituencies on June 23 last.
Left Front state committee in a press communique on Sunday stated “The results of the recent by-elections to the four Assembly constituencies are not expected in the context of the last 51 months in the heart of Tripura. The BJP has used its ruling power, financial power, arm strength and administrative power in many ways. Due to the terror and attacks and threats created by the ruling party, voters in many areas have not been able to express their views freely. A significant number of actual voters have been barred from voting.”
“The unidentified muscle power has been used at some polling booths in favor of the ruling party by depriving the real voters of their democratic right. However, despite several multifarious conspiracies and adversities, kudos to those who have exercised their franchise with audacity in the face of such activities”, the statement added.
The statement further added “We firmly believe that the democratic people will move forward through the process of building greater unity in restoring the real right to express democratic and independent views through lessons learned from the events of this by-election.”
