Agartala: The much-anticipated seat-sharing arrangement between left-wing parties and the Congress Party seems to be falling apart. Both parties have nominated candidates to run against each other in seats that were previously left unoccupied.
The Left Front initially reserved 13 assembly seats for Congress candidates, but Congress has now released a list of its own candidates for 17 assembly seats. The stalemate in seat sharing continues, even on the final day of nomination papers filing.
According to the Congress Party’s announcement, they have nominated candidates for all 17 assembly seats. Meanwhile, Left candidates have filed nomination papers for all 13 seats they had reserved for Congress. Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman, who played a crucial role in unifying both parties prior to the election, stated, “The Congress has responded to the demands of party workers by fielding candidates in all 17 seats. We respect public demand and that is why we have finalized these seats. I hope my Left party colleagues will understand and this new alliance will be successful.”
Speaking to EastMojo, former MLA and Congress leader Asish Kumar Saha stated, “As per the list approved by the AICC, our candidates have filed nomination papers in all 17 assembly constituencies. When the local-level seat-sharing negotiations between Congress and CPIM failed, the AICC intervened and talks took place between central leaders. We are aware that Left candidates have filed nomination papers in the reserved constituencies. However, we believe the impasse will be resolved soon, as AICC and senior CPIM leaders are still in talks regarding a partnership in Tripura.”
CPIM State Secretariat Committee member Pabitra Kar said, “We are filing nomination papers in some constituencies to prevent them from being left unoccupied. If the issues are resolved, our candidates will withdraw. We still hold hope for a positive outcome.” The BJP views this development as “expected.” They stated, “We expected this to happen. Congress and CPIM were trying to devise a questionable plan and now leaders from both parties are trying to assert their dominance in seat sharing.”
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BJP State General Secretary and candidate from the Agartala assembly constituency, Papia Datta, commented, “They say the alliance is on in the morning, then they say seat sharing hasn’t taken place in the evening. If they don’t clarify their stance before the public, how will they ask for votes?”
When contacted, Chief Electoral Officer Kiran Gitte stated, “228 candidates filed nomination papers on Monday, the final day for the process. So far, 305 candidates, including substitutes, have filed papers. After the scrutiny on January 31 and withdrawal on February 2, a clearer picture of the electoral competition will emerge.”
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