BJP wins 77 seats unopposed in five Tripura civic bodies; polling for remaining 268 seats on November 27

The BJP has won 77 seats unopposed across five civic bodies in Tripura following the scrutiny of nomination papers for the November 27 elections, an official said on November 11.

The unopposed wins came in the civic bodies of Mohanpur, Kamalpur, Jirania, Ranirbazar and Santirbazar.

The deadline for filing nominations for 345 seats across 21 civic bodies, including the Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC), ended on November 7. Scrutiny of nomination papers was conducted on Tuesday.

Polling will now be held for the remaining 268 seats, with 810 candidates in the fray, State Election Commissioner P K Chakravarty said. Counting of votes is scheduled for December 3.

The BJP has fielded the highest number of candidates at 342, followed by the CPI(M) with 218 and the Congress with 201, according to the State Election Commission.

The elections are expected to witness a triangular contest among the BJP-led NDA, the CPI(M) and the Congress.

Responding to allegations that candidates were forced to withdraw their nominations, Chakravarty said the commission had sought reports from the district magistrate and superintendent of police of Dhalai district.

"Ground reports show that there was no such instance at Ambassa or elsewhere in Dhalai district," he said.

However, CPI(M) state secretary Jitendra Chaudhury alleged that the party's candidates in Ambassa were forced to withdraw their nominations on Tuesday following threats, intimidation and attacks on their residences.