Agartala, Aug 26 (UNI) With the announcement of the schedule for by-poll to Badharghat assembly segment of West Tripura on September 23 next to fill up the casual vacancy following the death of BJP MLA Dilip Sarkar after long sufferings two months ago.
The BJP General Secretary and Loksabha MP Pratima Bhowmik said that the party is ready to contest the election and soon the party will declare their candidate and added, “Badharghat is traditionally an anti-left seat and now BJP has a stronghold. So there is no tension for the party. However, the usual campaign activity of the election will be carried out.”
Meanwhile, Congress Vice President Tapas De said that they would also field their candidate and contest the election tooth and nail. He, however, pointed out that Tripura has faced two important elections under one and half year rule of BJP so far and there was no election in both the cases.
“In LokSabha the ruling party nakedly used the administration and police in their favour. The opposition parties could not even allow campaigning properly. Finally, the voters were not allowed to cast their choice and there was large scale violence, for which the second phase election was deferred. Similar, things have happened in three-tire panchayat poll where oppositions could not file nominations in 85 per cent seats,” De added.
He mentioned besides, demanding peaceful by-election, Congress wants level playing ground and neutral administration. The experience of the people in the last two elections was horrible, which revealed BJP leaderships did not have any respect to democracy and if the same thing happens this time, Congress will not sit idle.
Meanwhile, CPI (M) West Tripura District Secretary Pabitra Kar said that left front will soon sit to decide their candidate for Badharghat. However, he alleged there was no democratic environment under BJP’s rule. The opposition parties have not been allowed to participate in the elections and violence became the core agenda for the ruling party.
According to Election Commission of India by-election in Badharghat is scheduled to be held with three more assembly constituencies - Dantewada in Chhattisgarh, Pala in Kerala and Hamirpur in
Uttar Pradesh on September 23 while counting would be taken place on September 27.
The notification for the by-election would be issued on August 28 commencing filing of nomination and it would be completed by September 4 while scrutiny would be done on the following day and the last date for withdrawal would be on September 7.
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