Agartala: Election campaigning gained momentum in Tripura a week ahead of assembly poll.
Election Commission of India (ECI) teams have increased their vigil to ward off any threat or intimidation of voters while security agencies have geared up to ensure free and fair polls.
As part of a campaign, CPI-M West Bengal Chief Biman Bose, leader of the opposition of WB Dr Surya Kanta Misra, CPI-M Politburo member Sitaram Yeachuri, MP Md Selim, CPI-M Central Committee member Subhasini Ali and Chief Minister and CPI-M Politburo member Manik Sarkar addressed as many as 38 election rallies across the state in favour of Left Front candidates.
On the other hand, AICC leader Oscar Fradandaz, Union Minister Dipa Dasmunsi, former West Bengal party chief Dr Manas Bhuinya, West Bengal Youth Congress President, AICC leader Major Ved Prakash and Tripura Pradesh congress president Sudip Roy Barman also addressed 46 gatherings in different parts of the state.
To intensify the campaign, Congress President Sonia Gandhi is scheduled to address two election rallies at Kumarghat in North Tripura and Agartala on February 10 while Congress Vice-president Rahul Gandhi will hold three rallies at Sonamura, Khayerpur and Dharmanagar on the next day.
CPI-M state secretary Bijan Dhar, however, informed that the Left Front leaders have scheduled to hold another 100 rallies till the end of the campaign while Congress chief Sudip Roy Barman asserted, apart from Sonia and Rahul as many as 15 national leaders and ministers would address more than 100 gatherings before election.
At a time when CPI-M leaders have been seeking vote for peace and development criticising the Central governments policies, opposition Congress leaders and ministers countered the issues and rather blaming the leftists for slow pace of development along with unemployment and corruption in the state. (UNI)