‘Why did you not field candidates?’ Tripura minister questions Congress over poll defeats

Tripura minister Sudhanshu Das on September 30 criticised the Congress over its allegations concerning the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), claiming that the party was attempting to blame external factors for its electoral setbacks instead of addressing organisational weaknesses.

Das said the Congress, under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, had repeatedly faced electoral defeats and alleged that the party was raising questions over electoral processes out of frustration.

“The Congress party, under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, has been losing elections continuously. They have lost more than 96 elections,” Das said.

The Tripura minister also referred to the recent Village Council and Village Committee elections in the state, including those held in areas under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC).

According to Das, around 4,597 seats were contested across Tripura, while the Congress fielded candidates in fewer than 400 seats. He claimed the party contested approximately 325 seats and did not nominate candidates for the remaining seats.

“My point is simple — where you could not even provide candidates, naturally you will lose the election,” Das said.

He questioned the Congress' allegations of vote manipulation when the party had not contested a substantial number of seats in the local body elections.

“When the NDA wins, you say the votes were stolen. My question is, why did you not field candidates?” the minister said.

Das' remarks came amid a wider political debate over the functioning of the Election Commission and allegations raised by opposition parties regarding electoral processes.