Agartala: Congress’ worst ever performance in a by-election in Tripura forced top leaders of the main opposition party in the Left-ruled state to blame central leaders for the initiative to forge an electoral alliance with the CPI-M.
Congress candidate Chanchal Dey got only 1,231 votes, securing fourth position in the by-elections to Amarpur assembly constituency, which was retained by ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) by a huge margin for the fourth consecutive time.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which got 9,758 votes, edged out the Congress to take the second spot.
The nominee of the tribal-based party Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura, Pabitra Mohon Jamatia bagged 1,623 votes, managing the third position in the by-poll which was held on Saturday and the results were declared on Tuesday.
“The Congress leaders and workers in Tripura are very much angry over the Congress leaders in West Bengal and Delhi to talk about a possible electoral alliance with CPI-M led Left Front in Bengal assembly elections,” Tripura assembly opposition leader (Congress) Sudip Roy Barman told reporters on Wednesday. Barman, also a former state party chief, said: “Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi went to Kerala and called the West Bengal Congress leaders to Delhi to obtain opinions about the possible alliance with the Left parties in Bengal. Tripura Congress leaders remained in the dark.”
In the last assembly elections in Tripura in 2013, Congress had secured 15,053 votes and here in this by-election, the votes were reduced to a meagre 1,231.
Another Congress leader Tapas Dey said: “Sudip babu’s views are partially correct, but Tripura Congress’ organisational weakness led the party to such a humiliating position in the by-poll as the Congress candidate forfeited the security deposit.” (IANS)
