BJP breaches last Red citadel in Tripura

The Left’s last citadel in India has crumbled, with the Bharatiya Janata Party set to replace the 20-year old rule of CPI(M)’s Manik Sarkar in an election that has proved to be quite revolutionary. The BJP is leading in 40 seats, crossing the 2/3rd mark after counting began this morning for the 59 assembly seats, giving a decisive push to its Mission Northeast.

From securing around 1.5 per cent votes in the last assembly election in 2013, to this historic election verdict, it has been an impressive performance of the BJP that aligned with the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura. The party carried out an aggressive campaign in the state with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party heavyweights like Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Yogi Adityanath leading the campaign.

The CPM could only manage its lead in 20 seats and is now a distant second. The Congress, which had been the main opposition party in Tripura, has been completely decimated this time. With most of its leaders switching over to the saffron camp after its decision to align with the Left in the last West Bengal assembly elections, its performance hardly comes as surprise.

The voter turnout was commendable at 89.9 per cent. The tribal outfit and BJP’s partner, IPFT, managed a lead in nine seats from a zero presence in the outgoing assembly. Elections for the Charilam constituency, due to the death of CPI(M) candidate Ramendra Narayan Debbarma, is scheduled for March 15.

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