BJP LEADING IN 32 SEATS IN TRIPURA

Guwahati, March 3, 2018:

Will  BJP conquer and dethrone the 25-year-old Left Front government in Tripura or will the CPM-led government stage a comeback for the sixth time in a row?

Early trends show the saffron party snapping at the heels of the Left Front, which is marginally ahead in the 60 member Assembly. The Congress, which over the years has played the second fiddle in the state, has only one seat to its name.

Counting is being held for 59 seats as the election for Charilam constituency, which was countermanded due to the death of CPI(M) candidate Ramendra Narayan Debbarma, will be held on March 12.

The counting is scheduled for March 15. The state is crucial for the Left, which is its last bastion in the country, with Manik Sarkar’s 20-year rule facing a sort of referendum this election.

While the BJP forged a pre-poll alliance with tribal outfit Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura, the Congress, which has been the main Opposition party for 25 years, and has been in power twice in Tripura, contested independently in the state this time.

An impressive 89.9 percent voter turnout was registered in Tripura.  According to two exit polls, the BJP is set to storm to power in the state, dislodging the CPI(M).