CPI(M) loses its base among tribals and SCs in Tripura; BJP reaps the dividends

AGARTALA: Once a dominating force in the political landscape of Tripura, the organizational base of CPI-M-led Left parties, which governed the state for 35 years in two phases, has been constantly declining both in the tribal and non-tribal bases, enabling the BJP to latch on to it and derive electoral mileage.

The Congress, which last ruled Tripura from 1988 to 1993, also lost its base in Tripura, though the grand old party governed the erstwhile princely-ruled state for many years in different phases after it joined the Indian union in October 1949.

In the recent elections in Tripura's two Lok Sabha seats - Tripura West and Tripura East, both won by the ruling BJP, the Left parties and the Congress, which jointly fought the polls as INDIA bloc - got 23.93 percent votes while the BJP secured 70.72 per cent votes.

Of the total of 60 Assembly constituencies, 30 segments fall in each Parliamentary constituency and except in one Assembly segment (Kailashahar) in all other 59 Assembly seats, the ruling BJP secured much more votes than the Left-Congress combine.

After former Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb (2018-2022) came to power in 2018, the Left parties in the successive elections either won two or three reserved Assembly seats or drew a blank. On the other hand, the BJP gained the support of the tribal communities on its own, also through its allies - Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) and Tipra Motha Party (TMP) - both tribal-based parties.

Scripting an electoral history, Deb, who secured a record 8,81,341 votes, won the Tripura West Lok Sabha seat, defeating state Congress President and party nominee Ashish Kumar Saha by a margin of 6,11,578 votes.

BJP nominee Kriti Devi Debbarman, the elder sister of TMP supremo Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma, who bagged 7,77,447 votes, won the Tripura East parliamentary seat defeating CPI-M nominee Rajendra Reang by a margin of 4,86,819 votes.

The 53-year-old Deb who became president of the BJP's Tripura unit in January 2016, claimed that there was no strong opposition party in Tripura, and hence there was no major challenge in the Lok Sabha election from the opposition. "My only challenge was to turn the opposition Communists and Congress leaders from negativity to positivity. What have they done after several decades in politics? They only befooled the people and always engaged them in various so-called agitations," Deb told IANS.

"I had started many things (projects and schemes), but I couldn't do everything. Naturally, when I was nominated as candidate for Lok Sabha polls, public aspirations, trust in BJP and 'Modi guarantee', all came together to prompt people to vote, rising above party, identity and religion," he further added. After being elected to Rajya Sabha in 2022, the central BJP leaders appointed him as the party's observer for Haryana as well. (IANS)

Also Read: Lok Sabha Election 2023 Results: BJP Leading in Both Seats in Tripura (sentinelassam.com)

Also Watch: