Want Congress ticket for 2023 Tripura polls? First enroll 5,000 members

Ahead of the 2023 Tripura Assembly elections, the Congress has devised an astute formula to increase its membership strength while picking the right candidates. AICC general secretary in-charge of Tripura Ajoy Kumar, in a letter to the Pradesh Congress, laid down the selection procedure that mandates a ticket aspirant to enroll at least 5,000 members to qualify for nomination.

The Congress failed to win a single seat in the 2018 Assembly elections, polling mere 1.79 per cent of the votes. The party, however, was back in the reckoning after two BJP MLAs, Sudip Roy Barman and Ashish Kumar Saha, came to its fold in a surprise move this February.

The revamp drive

The hope of the party’s revival got further boost when Roy Barman won the prestigious Agartala assembly constituency in the by-elections in June. After his victory, the veteran state politician launched a drive to revamp the party organisation in the state, which is scheduled to go to polls in February next year.

Also read: Tripura: BJP will be shown the door for not fulfilling promises, says Manik Sarkar

Several BJP, CPI (M) and TMC members have joined the Congress since the drive was launched, according to party spokesperson Prasanta Bhattacharjee. TMC general secretary Baptu Chakraborty is among those who have switched over to the Congress in the last couple of months. Chakraborty had left the Congress to join the TMC last year. His return reinforced the Congress’s revival claim.

The survival strategy

The new selection procedure is part of that revival strategy, said a senior state Congress leader, adding that the letter was issued on Tuesday (November 8). The fulfilment of the criterion alone, however, will not guarantee the ticket, he said. It is just one of the conditions.

Generally, the Congress asks an aspirant to fill an application form giving personal background, a statement of purpose and details of the constituency from where the applicant wants to contest. The application is then scrutinised by the district committee under which the preferred constituency falls. The district then forwards the list to the Pradesh screening committee. The committee, after selection, forwards the list of nominees to the central election committee under the AICC president for final approval.

Poll alliance with rival CPI (M)

From time to time, the party puts special conditions for the applicants. For instance, the Karnataka Congress has asked those aspiring for the party tickets in the upcoming assembly polls to deposit a demand draft of ₹2 lakh, along with the application. The move aims at raising funds for the party.

Also read: BJP to win 55 of 60 seats in 2023 Tripura polls: Himanta

Tripura Pradesh Congress President Birajit Sinha, while confirming the new selection criteria, said it will strengthen the party’s membership drive.

Meanwhile, as part of its revival strategy, the Congress is also keeping its door open for a poll alliance with its traditional rival in the state, the CPI (M). All secular parties should come together to give people freedom from the misrule of the BJP, Roy Barman had said recently.

The CPI (M) Politburo recently entrusted the state unit with initiating discussions with “like-minded” parties for a pre-poll alliance to dethrone the “communal” BJP. Both the Congress and the CPI (M), however, have reservations for any tie-up with the Trinamool Congress, another important non-BJP player in the fray.