GUWAHATI: Notwithstanding the party’s debacle in the Lok Sabha elections, Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee president, Pradyot Manikya Debbarma sees hope for Congress in Tripura having secured a substantial increase in vote share, and more importantly, toppling the Left, the principal Opposition, to the third position.
In an exclusive interview over phone with The Shillong Times on Thursday evening, Debbarma said the party’s vote share in the state went up from 1.7 per cent to about 30 per cent, something which the Left, despite having 16 MLAs could not achieve in the Lok Sabha polls.
“The outcome can be taken positively more so because despite having no MLAs in the state Assembly, we had led in as many as 12 Assembly constituencies. Our position has gone up in huge numbers. On the other hand, CPM, which has 16 MLAs, had trailed in many constituencies while IPFT, which is an ally, has been absolutely quashed,” the Congress leader said.
Reflecting on the progress in short time, Debbarma said, “I had taken charge in March this year, which is just about a month before the election. Now, to have taken over the entire position of Opposition in such a short span means that if the Congress is on the ground and connecting with people, we can achieve a lot.”
“In the municipal elections in January this year, the Congress had a vote share of less than even one per cent,” he said, throwing light on the vote share hike.
On the road ahead for Congress, Debbarma said, “We need to invest in young people, leaders who are willing to put in a lot of effort and their feet on the ground.”
He further thanked the electorate (of the two Lok Sabha seats – Tripura West and Tripura East) who turned up in huge numbers and supported Congress.
