Tripura ex-chief minister says BJP blocked Left candidates before district council polls

Former Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar has accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party of stopping Left Front candidates from filing nomination papers for the state’s upcoming village council elections.

Sarkar said the alleged obstruction was particularly evident in the Jirania and Mohanpur subdivisions of West Tripura district. “In some places especially at Jirania and Mohanpur subdivisions, opposition party candidates are being stopped from filing their nominations,” he said. He added that people were trying to overcome the obstacles.

The Left Front on Saturday asked the state Election Commission to deploy central armed police forces across all constituencies. The alliance also alleged that political violence against Left candidates had increased.

Candidates must complete their nominations by September 8. Officials will scrutinise the papers on September 9, and candidates may withdraw by September 11. Polling for 4,597 seats in 587 village committees is scheduled for September 28, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. A repoll, if needed, will take place on October 3, while counting is set for October 5.

The electoral roll includes 961,977 voters: 482,041 men, 479,930 women and six third-gender voters. The elected Village Committees’ five-year terms ended in 2021, but the elections could not be held because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

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In some places especially at Jirania and Mohanpur subdivisions, opposition party candidates are being stopped from filing their nominations. Unlike previous elections, people are attempting to overcome the obstacles.