BJP sweeps Tripura civic polls, bags 217 of 222 seats

The BJP on Sunday swept the civic elections in Tripura, pocketing 217 of 222 seats on which elections were held on November 25. The CPM has won three seats, the Trinamool and Tipra Motha one each.

The Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC) has become opponent-less, with all 51 wards going to the BJP.

Of the 334 total seats – including AMC with 51 wards, 13 municipal councils, and six nagar panchayats — the BJP has won 329, having been elected unopposed in 112 seats earlier. Polling took place for 222 seats on November 25.

Trinamool’s Abhishek Banerjee tweeted that “it is exceptional for a party beginning with negligible presence to successfully contest municipal elections and emerge as the PRINCIPAL OPPOSITION in the state with more than 20% vote share”.

Counting of votes for over 200 seats in the AMC and other civic bodies in Tripura, where elections were held earlier amid allegations of rigging and attacks on political rivals, began on Sunday.

The BJP had fielded candidates for all the 334 seats in the state where its nominees won in 112 places uncontested.

Reacting to the impressive performance by his party in the elections, BJP vice-president Dilip Ghosh said the results of Tripura civic polls have exposed the “hollowness” of TMC’s claims of having made inroads into the northeastern state.

He said people there have faith in the saffron party.

Describing TMC workers campaigning in Tripura as “hired people”, Ghosh told reporters his party shares a “strong bond” with the residents of that state.

The TMC will not be able to open its account in Tripura “unless the BJP decides against fielding candidate from any seat”, he had said earlier.

“The civic poll results are on expected lines. The TMC did not have any chance to open its account in Tripura, they only made noises. This verdict shows hired people from West Bengal cannot help a party create a base in a state, which has faith in the BJP,” Ghosh added.

There are 334 seats in urban local bodies – the AMC, 13 Municipal Councils and six Nagar Panchayats – in the state. The ruling BJP has fielded candidates in all the seats and has won 112 of them uncontested.

In the remaining 222 seats, as many as 785 contestants are in the fray.

The run-up to the polls, which should have been a humdrum affair, became a cause celebre after it was marred by violence, arrests, sit-ins in far-away Delhi and a Supreme Court intervention asking officials to ensure peaceful polling.

Also read: Tripura poll violence sets a new low, BJP exposes its weakness

The polling itself on Thursday was accompanied by charges of vote malpractices by the TMC and CPI(M), both of whom had demanded re-polling in various municipalities. The ruling BJP however, had dismissed these charges.

Apart from normal security arrangements, Tripura State Rifles and central armed police force have also been deployed to maintain law and order in areas adjoining counting centres, Assistant Inspector General of Police Subrata Chakrabarty said on Saturday.

The electoral battle saw the ruling BJP locked in battle with the Trinamool Congress which is foraying into the Northeast and elsewhere to establish itself as a national party, and with the CPI(M) which the saffron party had dethroned from power in this state some years ago.

The TMC which alleged vote-rigging and intimidation in elections held on Thursday, had demanded countermanding of the entire election while the CPI(M) had sought fresh elections in five municipal bodies including the AMC.

Both parties had claimed that the authorities remained silent spectators as BJP supporters attacked political rivals and rigged the election. The saffron party however stoutly denied the charges.

Altogether 81.54 per cent of over 4.93 lakh voters exercised their franchise in the election.

(With Agency inputs)