The INDIA bloc is yet to agree on fighting the Lok Sabha polls in unison in Tripura while the ruling BJP has already announced its candidates for the state's two seats.
Though the Congress nominated its state party chief President Ashish Kumar Saha for the Tripura West Lok Sabha seat, bloc partner CPI-M has yet to declare its candidate for the Tripura East Lok Sabha (reserved for STs) nor has it disclosed its stand about the Congress candidature.
Saha on Friday said that the central leaders of CPI-M and the Congress have already decided that the Congress would contest the Tripura West seat and the CPI-M the Tripura East seat.
Congress leaders urged the Left to announce its candidate at the earliest to take on the ruling BJP.
A senior CPI-M leader told IANS that the party’s state Committee would meet on March 17 and the candidate-related and other election issues would be discussed in the meeting, where party General Secretary Sitaram Yechury or Politburo member Prakash Karat likely to be present.
"Some party leaders are not willing to give the Tripura West Lok Sabha seat to the Congress and are keen to put up candidates in both the seats. However, several other party leaders are eager to contest the parliamentary polls in Tripura in the 1:1 ratio," the leader, who did not want to be named, said.
The CPI-M won both the seats many times since 1952 while the Congress has also won a few times.
The BJP won both seats for the first time in 2019, with Union Minister of State for Social Justice Pratima Bhoumik (Tripura West) and teacher-turned-politician Rebati Tripura (Tripura East) emerging triumphant. However, both have been dropped this time and Maharani Kriti Singh Debbarma and former Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb were named for the Tripura East Lok Sabha and Tripura West seats, respectively.
A resident of Chhattisgarh, Debbarma, of the erstwhile princely ruling family and a social activist, is the elder sister of Tipra Motha Party (TMP) supremo and royal scion Pradyot Bikram Manikya Deb Barman.
Her candidature came after hectic parleys for over a year and days after the TMP, which had been demanding a 'Greater Tipra Land' or a separate state for the tribals under the Constitution's Articles 2 and 3, signed a tripartite agreement with the Centre and the Tripura government and joined the BJP-led coalition government in the state.
According to the agreement, a joint working group/committee would be formed to work out and implement the mutually agreed issues in a time-bound manner to ensure an 'honourable' solution to the tribals' demands.
The CPI-M and the Congress have criticised the BJP for choosing Debbarma as its candidate as she is a family member of the leader of the TMP, with which it has yet to form any official alliance.
Urging people to "boycott" the TMP and the BJP and to vote for Congress, Congress Working Committee (CWC) member and former minister Sudip Roy Barman said that the TMP chief "played with sentiments of tribals" with lofty slogans of tribals’ development before joining the BJP government and putting up his sister as a BJP candidate.
"If anyone tries to sell tribals of Tripura to manage their own interests, they don’t want the well-being of tribals," said Roy Barman, who along with state party chief Saha, met Deb Barman last month to discuss fighting the Lok Sabha polls jointly.
Flight operation between Agartala-Delhi to be increased; resumption of flight operation between Agartala-Aizawl, Agartala-Shillong, says MP Biplab Kumar Deb
The former Chief Minister and presently the MP for West Tripura constituency Biplab Kumar Deb on Friday chaired the airport advisory committee meeting here at Agartala MBB Airport and said that there is a plan to increase direct flight operation from Delhi to Agartala.
Tripura: Bill proposes hike in salaries of CM, Ministers and MLAs upto 50pc
An Amendment Bill has been moved in the Tripura Assembly on Friday proposing the increase of salaries, allowances of Ministers, MLAs and former legislators by 45 to 50 per cent.
Winter assembly session begins in Tripura; Governor Indrasena Reddy Nallu lauds Govt’s effort in maintaining law and order in Tripura
In his speech in the sixth session of the 13th Tripura Legislative Assembly, the Governor said, “The state of Tripura is witnessing development in almost every sector including infrastructure, health care, education, agriculture and others under the guidance of the Centre and state leadership.”
TSF stages protest, demands to raise Roman script for Kokborok language in Assembly
The Twipra Student Federation (TSF), a wing of the North East Students Organisation (NESO), on Friday staged a protest near Circuit House in Agartala, demanding the issue of adopting the Roman script for the Kokborok language be raised in the winter session of the Tripura Legislative Assembly, which started today.
Govt to appoint over 400 Assistant Professors in colleges: CM
In a move to provide quality education to students studying in various colleges and to solve the crisis of Professors across the state, the Tripura government has taken a series of steps, including the appointment of 200 Assistant Professors,
Drug peddling: ED raids cop's residence, premises of suspected smugglers in Tripura
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) sleuths on Friday conducted raids in Tripura and searched the residence of a police official and premises of several people allegedly involved in drug peddling and money laundering cases, sources said.
Crucial winter session of Tripura Assembly to begin from tomorrow
The crucial winter session of the Tripura assembly would begin on Friday and a bill would be moved in the House amending the existing law to provide retirement benefits to all MLAs who have served even for just a day, officials said on Thursday.
Ex-CM accuses BJP of divisive politics to mask hide core issues
Former Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar on Saturday criticized the ruling BJP, accusing it of fostering divisions among Hindus, Muslims, Tribals, and Non-Tribals to divert attention from pressing issues such as rising prices, unemployment, and economic hardships.