Bihar debacle to affect BJP in Tripura: Congress

The BJP's showing in the December 9 municipal elections in Tripura will be badly affected following the Bihar assembly disaster, state Congress chief Birajit Sinha said on Wednesday.

The Bharatiya Janata Party "is non-existent in Tripura" with no member in the 60-member assembly, he told the media. The BJP's rout in Bihar would further affect its electoral prospects in the state.

He said the the BJP state president's call to the Congress not to field candidates in the civic polls or to support the BJP nominees was "a foolish statement".

BJP Tripura unit president Sudhindra Dasgupta has asked the Congress not to field candidates in the civic polls to prevent a division in anti-Left votes so as to defeat the ruling Left Front.

The Left Front, the main opposition Congress, the BJP and smaller parties have put up candidates in elections for the Agartala Municipal Corporation, 13 municipal councils and six Nagar Panchayats in the state.