The by-elections to 3,386 seats are scheduled for September 30 due to large-scale resignations of elected representatives of Left parties after the formation of the BJP government in the State, and the death of the representatives of three-tier panchayat seats.
Agartala: Continuing its successful stint, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has won unopposed 96% of the Gram Panchayat and Panchayat Samiti seats and all Zilla Parishad seats in Tripura.
The by-elections to 3,386 seats are scheduled for September 30 due to large-scale resignations of elected representatives of Left parties after the formation of the BJP government in the State, and the death of the representatives of three-tier Panchayat seats.
"The candidates belonging to BJP are elected unopposed in 3,075 Gram Panchayats, 154 Panchayat Samitis and all the 18 Zilla Parishads seats. Now election would be held on September 30 for 132 Gram Panchayat and seven Panchayat Samiti seats only," a State Election Commission (SEC) official said. The last date of withdrawal of nominations was on Friday.
The Left Front, Congress and tribal-based party IPFT, led by the Opposition Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), has asked the SEC to re-enact the existing electoral process separately.
The parties alleged that “massive violence prevented their nominees to file papers", accusing BJP workers of interfering with filing nomination papers in 35 blocks on Monday and Tuesday.
However, according to the police, on Monday and Tuesday, 10 policemen, including two senior officials, and about 25 workers form BJP, IPFT and Congress were injured in a clash between rival political factions.
Terming the allegations as baseless, BJP State spokesperson Mrinal Kanti Deb said that the Opposition parties could not find a suitable candidate, especially for the CPI-M Gram Panchayat elections since most people in Tripura were not interested representing Left and the Congress in the elections.
But, CPI-M central committee member Gautam Das, after a meeting with Tripura State Election Commissioner G Kameswara Rao, said that they have told the election officials that most candidates belonging to non-BJP parties were attacked and their nomination papers and other documents were snatched.
"Even the all-party meetings convened by the returning officers (BDOs) in seven blocks were attacked by the BJP supporters. We have been demanding free and fair elections but the State government and the SEC have failed to keep the situation conducive for conducting a smooth election," the Left leader said.
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