Tripura polls: Manik Sarkar accuses BJP of 'morphing' data

Former Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar on Saturday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of playing foul in the state assembly elections.

"Real information was morphed in the counting. There also, they (BJP) tried to create trouble. Despite all this, counting is now over," Sarkar told ANI.

Sarkar further said he is going to collect all the information and date from the result and comment after that.

"Now I am collecting the information. After going through all of this, I can make a comment. Please bear with me," he added.

Sarkar's comments came a few moments after Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury hit out at the BJP's polling agents after the counting was stopped in at least three booths of the Dhanpur constituency in Tripura, previously held by Manik Sarkar.

Sarkar was a four-term Tripura chief minister, while the CPI(M) lost after 25 years in Tripura.

Meanwhile, the BJP registered their first win in the northeastern state by winning 35 seats out of 60, while the ruling CPI(M) managed to take 16 seats.

As soon as the counting of votes began on Saturday morning, the trends reflected a close fight between the ruling Left and the BJP. As the day progressed, the BJP surged ahead, leaving the CPI(M) behind.

The BJP led a massive campaign in Tripura, which had been under the Left rule since 1998.

The BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urged the people for a "poribortan" (change) in their election campaign, across the state.

Tripura went to polls on February 18 and recorded nearly 92 percent voting.