No doubt that we will form government in Tripura, says BJP

There is no doubt that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would form government in Tripura after the February 18 assembly polls, its state chief Biplab Kumar Deb said here on Wednesday.

"BJP would come to power in Tripura ousting the CPI-M-led Left Front government in the February 18 assembly elections. People of Tripura have become fed up with the 25 year rule of the Left parties," he said after filing his nominations from the prestigious Banamalipur assembly constituency here.

He claimed that young voters, employees and women would not vote for the Communist Party of India-Marxist due to the "serious unemployment, non-payment of salaries to the government employees and security forces as per the recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission and rising crime against women, besides corruption and misrule".

Wednesday was the last date for filling nominations, which began on January 24 when the notification was issued. Scrutiny would be done on Thursday and the late date for withdrawal is on Saturday. Counting of votes will take place on March 3.

Many other BJP candidates also filed their nominations on Wednesday in constituencies across the state.

BJP state Vice President Subal Bhowmik, who earlier expressed his anger at being fielded from Sonamura constituency which he had won in 2008 as a Congress candidate, also filed his papers.

A party leader said this followed Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is BJP's in-charge of Tripura elections, summoning him to Guwahati on Sunday night and arranged a telephonic talks with national BJP President Amit Shah.

Seven former Congress MLAs -- Sudip Roy Barman (Agartala), Ratan Lal Nath (Mohanpur), Ashish Kumar Saha (Town Bordowali), Dilip Sarkar (Badharghat), Pranajit Singha Roy (Rakishorepur), Dibachandra Hrangkhwal (Karamchhara) and Bishwa Bandhu Sen (Dharmanagar), who joined BJP last year, also submitted their nominations after holding huge procession in their respective areas.

About the party candidates, Deb said that if one sees the list, it will be found that BJP has nominated all sections of people including from the Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes, women, scientists, doctors, lawyers, academicians, and former bureaucrats.

He also said that from next week, a host of central party leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley, Nitin Gadkari, Smriti Irani, Nirmala Sitharaman, and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi among others would come to campaign.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, his Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh counterparts N. Biren Singh and Pema Khandu as well as Uttar Pradesh's Yogi Adityanath are scheduled to come, he added.

Sarma and Amit Shah would also camp in the state for a week.

Despite criticism, the BJP has forged alliance with Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), which has been agitating to divide the state to form a separate state containing the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council areas.

Of the 60 assembly seats out of which 20 are reserved for tribals and 10 for Scheduled Castes, the BJP has allotted nine tribal reserved seats to IPFT.

--IANS

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