Campaigning reaches its peak for hill area election in Tripura

FROM a CORRESPONDENT

Agartala, Feb 20: Campaigning for the election of 587 village committees under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council is going on in full swing as polling is only three  days away on  February 24.

The State Election Commission has filized all the preparations and held a review meeting with all the poll officials and issued instructions to follow all the guide lines. They also held a meeting with security officials and reviewed the arrangements to ensure a free, fair and peaceful election.

This time the election will be held in ballot papers. A spokesman of the commission said printed ballot papers has already been sent to the concerned returning officers and casting of vote by the officials involved in election process through postal ballot has been started from today.

The ruling Left Front has already won over 800 out of total 4597 seats uncontested and secured majority  in 89 villages.

The Left Front is contesting in all the remaining seats while the Congress, BJP and regiol parties like Indigenous People’s Front and Indigenous tiolist Party of Tripura is contesting partially.

There is no formal alliance in the state level among the political parties. But according to sources in  many blocks like Karbook, Gandachera, Kanchanpur, Kalyanpur the opposition parties made some local  arrangement to ensure a one to one fight against the ruling front.

This has made a dull election very  interesting as the CPI (M) led Left Front is facing tough contest in many areas.

Campaign reached its peak as the leaders of all the political parties are trying their best to impress voters.

Chief Minister Manik Sarkar is leading the Left Front’s campaign and addressed public meetings in all the eight districts.

Addressing a public meeting at ITI field at Manu Bankul in Subroom sub-division he urged the voters to ensure victory of all the Left Front candidates to ensure that the development process initiated by the Left Front government are not disrupted. He also came down heavily against the rendra Modi led BJP government in the Centre for following a policy of dividing the country in commul line. Their economic policies also came under fire and urged the voters to ensure that these commul forces can’t raise their head.  ‘It is necessary to ensure that your posterity can leave in a free society’, he said.

Encouraged by the outcome of the recently held by-election of the Amarpur assembly constituency where

the party emerged second bypassing the Congress in the state, BJP president is leaving no stone unturned to make a mark in this election too.  He is visiting all the areas where his party has some prospect and  urging the voters to vote in favour of BJP to strengthen the hand of Prime Minister rendra Modi.

He alleged that in many areas the CPI (M) cadres are attacking their workers and in almost all the places trying to lure the voters by giving cash and other benefits in kind.

The IPFT who are contesting the election with the demand for a separate state is also in the field and  led by its president rendra Chandra Debbarma is holding meeting in all the localities.  However, depressed with the frustrating result in the by-election the main opposition in the state the Congress is lagging far behind as most of the leaders are remained confined in the house.