IN keeping with the expectations of the people, CPI(M) retained its hold in the bye-elections to the Pratapgarh and Surma assembly segments, by a huge margin. Both these SC reserved seats had fallen vacant because of the untimely demise of the CPI(M) MLAs, Comrade Anil Sarkar and Comrade Sudhir Das. During the campaign itself, it had become clear that the CPI(M) was poised for victory. The polling on June 27 was absolutely peaceful and recorded a high voter turnout. In Surma the CPI(M) had fielded its Kamalpur Subdivision committee secretary Anjan Das, while in Pratapgarh a completely new face, Ramu Das was in fray. As counting started in Agartala and Kamalpur in the morning on June 30, from the very beginning it became clear that the CPI(M) was going to retain both the seats with a greater margin compared to the Lok Sabha polls. As the final result came out, CPI(M) won both the seats leaving all the opposition parties far behind. In Pratapgarh, CPI(M) candidate Ramu Das defeated his nearest BJP candidate Mousumi Das by a huge margin of 17,326 votes. Ramu Das got 27,555 votes, 62.85 percent, while BJP got 10,229 votes and Congress finished third with mere 5,187 votes. In Surma assembly constituency, CPI(M)'s Anjan Das won with a huge difference of 15,309 votes. He got 23,275 votes, a whopping 68.25 percent while the nearest BJP candidate got 7,966 votes. Congress party bagged merely 2,528 votes. As soon as results were declared, in both the constituencies and all over the state, jubilant supporters, workers and sympathisers of the Left Front came out onto the streets to celebrate the victory. CPI(M) Tripura state secretary Bijan Dhar thanked the people for reposing their faith on the Left Front. He termed the results as a positive mandate of the people in favour of peace, harmony and development of the state – the main plank of the Left Front government and a clear refusal of the anti-people and communal policies of the Modi led BJP government. He said, it is definitely a worrisome fact that the BJP has finished second in both the seats leaving behind the Congress party. But it is because of the misdeeds of the Congress that the BJP has gained ground. The way the Congress virtually hid behind the BJP and left the ground empty by giving a call for conscience vote has helped the BJP. The Congress party lost deposits in both the seats. We must be more vigilant in the coming days to counter the communal BJP more effectively, he said. In Pratapgarh, the CPI(M) had won by a margin of 2,132 votes in 2013 assembly elections and the percentage of votes was 51.38; the Congress had got 46.8 percent votes that time. This time LF has bagged 62.85 percent of votes. Left Front has increased its vote share by around 11 percent and is leading in all the 61 polling stations. In Surma the margin of victory in 2013 was 1862 and the Left Front got 50.51 percent votes. This time the margin has increased to 15,309 and the share of votes has gone up to 68.25 percent. In all the 54 polling stations, CPI(M) had an edge over the opposition.