Agartala, August 24, 2023: In a fervent campaign rally held on Thursday in Tripura’s 23-Dhanpur assembly constituency under Sepahijala district, Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) state core committee member and the Agriculture minister Ratan Lal Nath rallied voters to support BJP candidate Bindu Debnath in the upcoming by-election.

Nath urged voters to secure a resounding victory for Debnath by a margin of 29,000 votes out of 50,147 eligible electorates, while limiting the potential franchise of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPIM candidate to below 8,000 votes.

Addressing the crowd with the main slogan ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Bikash’, Nath emphasized the BJP’s commitment under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inclusivity, stating, “BJP never differentiates between Hindu and Muslim, tribal and non-tribal, OBC, SC, and ST. The party believes in the motive of ‘One Earth, One Family, and One Future’.”

Nath questioned the developmental progress made during the CPIM’s extended rule in Dhanpur, particularly during the 20-year tenure of former Chief Minister Manik Sarkar. He contrasted this with the achievements of the BJP-led government in Tripura during the past 5.5 years, highlighting the importance of this developmental track record in supporting Bindu Debnath’s candidacy. Nath challenged, “Being in power for 35 years, what has CPIM done for Dhanpur?”

Nath underscored the developmental initiatives initiated in the past five years since the rejection of the CPIM-led Left Front’s 25-year reign in Tripura, acknowledging the setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic during the last two years. He encouraged voters to evaluate the past five years under BJP’s governance compared to the CPIM’s previous rule.

Citing key statistics, Nath revealed that 4.93 lakh houses were allocated in the last five years compared to 72,000 houses in the preceding 25 years. He also noted a significant increase in Self-Help Groups (SHGs), with 50,860 SHGs now and 4,62,609 women members, showcasing progress toward ‘Atmanirbhar Tripura’ and employment opportunities in every household.

In an attempt to win over voters, BJP core committee member and senior leader Nath reminded the crowd that BJP’s candidate, Union Minister of State Pratima Bhoumik, received approximately 19,000 votes in the recent assembly election. He urged voters to ensure Bindu Debnath secures a lead of 29,000 votes, while restricting CPIM’s support to under 8,000 votes in the upcoming by-election scheduled for September 5.

Nath concluded by calling upon all BJP workers and citizens at every polling booth to take responsibility for securing a decisive victory for Bindu Debnath in the by-election.

At the Mohanbhog rally, Ratan Lal Nath was joined by Union Minister of State Pratima Bhoumik, Tribal Welfare Minister Bikash Debbarma, Mohanbhog RD Block Chairman Jitendra Das, and other leaders.

Meanwhile, in a separate event, Nath welcomed three local youth leaders, Rajib Noatia, Dinesh Tripura, and Udar Singh Noatia, in the presence of Cooperative Minister Shukla Charan Noatia, MDCs Padmalochan Tripura, and Bhumikananda Reang at the Taibandal market on Thursday afternoon.