Agartala, January 28, 2023: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday announced candidates list for 48 assembly constituencies out of 60 seats in the poll-bound Tripura.
Addressing a press conference at BJP national headquarters in New Delhi, party’s national spokesperson and North-East coordinator Dr Sambit Patra said that the union minister of state Pratima Bhoumik and Chief Minister Prof Dr Manik Saha have been nominated as candidates from 23-Dhanpur and 8-Town Bardowali assembly constituencies, respectively.
Meanwhile, union Home minister Amit Shah had held talks with TIPRA Motha for alliance, but its chief and royal scion Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarman clearly stated that the demand for constitutional solution should be given in writing and then only, alliance can be formed. As BJP failed to give this assurance in writing, TIPRA Motha is going to contest the election alone.
Hours after announcement of BJP’s candidate list, All India Congress Committee (AICC) also fielded their candidates after getting approval from Central Election Committee of Congress party in 17 assembly constituencies.
The AICC in a press communique on Saturday informed that the lone Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman will contest from 6-Agartala assembly constituency, former MLAs Asish Kumar Saha, Diba Chandra Hrangkhwal and Birajit Sinha are contesting from 8-Town Bardowali, 48-Karamcherra (ST) and 53-Kailashahar assembly constituencies, respectively.
It is worthy to mention here that BJP along with its allied partner IPFT won the assembly election in 2018 with 44 seats and CPIM-led Left Front bagged 16 seats.
Ahead of assembly polls in 2023, CPIM-led Left Front organization and Congress parties had tied knot together under the banner of “Secular Democratic Forces” and Leftist organization announced candidates for 46 assembly constituencies while 13 were left for Congress party and one for an independent candidate from 7-Ramnagar seat.
Notably, there are 28 lakh 23 thousand 822 electorates including 10,344 service voters, 65,044 first-time voters, 17,297 persons with disabilities (PwDs), 77 third genders and 38,039 senior citizens i.e. 80 years and above in Tripura.
