THE results of the by-elections to two assembly constituencies in Tripura were declared on November 22. Left Front sponsored CPI(M) candidates won both the seats with decisive margins against their nearest contestants. While CPI(M) candidate Jhumu Sarkar won with a margin of 3,374 over his nearest BJP contestant in Barjala, Biswajit Datta came out victorious with a thumping lead of 16,094 against the TMC candidate in Khowai. Following the victory of these elections, Left Front’s strength in the 60-member Tripura assembly will now be 51.

By-elections were held in both these assembly constituencies on November 19 last. While the former seat got vacant due to the resignation of the Congress member Jitendra Sarkar, the latter fell vacant due the demise of  Comrade Samir Deb Sarkar, CPI(M) chief whip in the assembly.

Jitendra Sarkar, once a CPI(M) leader was expelled from the Party in 2008. He joined the Congress and returned to the assembly in 2013 assembly election from Barjala assembly constituency. After the West Bengal assembly elections this year, a section of the Congress MLAs intending to defect to the TMC was mounting pressure on Jitendra Sarkar to follow them and join the TMC. He could not accept such an immoral defection and was quite disillusioned over the bickering and factionalism inside the Congress party which had no concern about people’s welfare. Therefore, he resigned from the assembly, responding to his conscience and expressed his intention to join the CPI(M) again. 

Both the seats had multi-cornered contest. Apart from the Left Front supported CPI(M) candidates, the Congress, BJP, TMC fielded their candidates in these elections. The TMC and the BJP lavishly spent huge amounts of money. The BJP even resorted to bribing the voters in cash in both the seats. But a section of democratically conscious voters who were offered bribes complained to the election authorities and exposed this malpractice.

The opposition particularly the BJP and the TMC, in league with a section of media, carried out a scandalous campaign overnight with manufactured allegations of corruptions, misrule etc against the Left Front government and the CPI(M) leaders. Even the minor incidents of non-political nature were given political coating by them to malign the ruling party. In their campaign they held the state government responsible for price hikes, unemployment, crisis in agriculture etc. The Left Front, on the other hand, while refuting all these charges, highlighted peace, stability, communal harmony, steady growth and developmental activities in the state in spite of the step-motherly attitude of the centre; anti-people activities of the BJP-led central government etc.

The results reveal that both the BJP and the TMC are gaining at the cost of the Congress which has practically got marginalised. Both the TMC and the BJP have termed this election as ‘semi-finals’ targeting the 2018 general assembly elections as the ‘finals’. But the people of Tripura are waiting to see when both these parties will finalise their wedlock flouting all ethical and moral principles, to contest with the Left Front. 

Addressing a press meet on November 22, CPI(M) state secretary Bijan Dhar greeted the electors of both the constituencies for their decisive mandate in favour of the Left Front. He termed this as a mandate for peace, stability and progress. He also greeted all electoral officers, staff, police and other concerned for conducting this election peacefully, fairly and freely in a festive mode.    

                       Election Results