Tripura readies for polls without CM face

'People of Tripura will vote for BJP again looking at Manik Saha's face and the policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,' the Assam CM said

Tripura is poised for the Assembly elections on February 16 without a Chief Ministerial candidate.

The ruling BJP is gearing up for the elections with Chief Minister Manik Saha as their leader but the saffron party has decided not to name a CM candidate before the elections like the way they did in Assam and Manipur.

The Opposition camp too has decided not to name their CM candidate even as Manik Sarkar, the veteran CPI (M) leader, who served as CM for 20 years (1998-2018) decided not to contest the elections anymore. Sarkar was projected as the CM candidate by the left front before the 2018 Assembly polls. Jitendra Choudhury, a senior tribal leader is leading CPI-M's electoral battle this time. The CPI (M) is contesting in 43 seats out of total 60.

Sudip Roy Barman, a former BJP minister, who switched over to Congress after leading dissidence against former CM Biplab Kumar Deb, is a prominent face in Congress. But the party is unlikely to name a CM candidate given the fact that it is contesting only in 17 seats, as per seat sharing arrangement with the left front. Roy Barman is the only Congress MLA in Tripura now. He is contesting from the prestigious Agartala Assembly constituency.

Tipra Motha, which is contesting in 42 seats too has not named their CM candidate. The chief of the party and Royal scion, Pradyot Deb Barma, who is leading the party, interestingly decided not to contest the polls. Deb Barma, who rejected the offer for an alliance from BJP and the Opposition CPI (M)-Congress on the demand for "Greater Tipraland" said that a constitutional solution for the indigenous Tripuris is more important than who becomes the CM.

"People of Tripura will vote for BJP again looking at Manik Saha's face and the policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on Monday, while accompanying Saha for filing of nomination papers. Sarma is the convenor of North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), a forum of BJP and its allies in the Northeast. Manipur CM, N . Biren Singh also accompanied Saha on Monday.

Saha, a dental surgeon-turned-politician was made the CM in May last year, replacing Biplab Kumar Deb, who served as the CM since 2018, when BJP formed their first government in Tripura, ending the 25-year-long left-front government. Saha, now 70, joined BJP from Congress in 2016 but later became BJP's state president and subsequently an MP. "BJP will get more than 50 seats," the confident Saha told reporters after filing his nomination papers on Monday.

Deb was elected as a Rajya Sabha member in September last year and is not contesting the Assembly elections this time. Pratima Bhoumik, a union minister of state and another prominent BJP leader in the state, however, has been fielded as a candidate in this Assembly polls.

Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday exuded confidence that BJP would alone form the government even as IPFT will still remain as an ally. BJP has fielded candidates in 55 seats and will support IPFT in the remaining five.

A total of 305 candidates have filed the nomination papers for the elections.