Exit of 5 MLAs jolt for Tripura BJP ahead of assembly polls: Manik Sarkar

Manik Sarkar has claimed that BJP has failed to keep leaders in parties that had toppled Left Front government in the state in 2018 as five MLAs of ruling coalition have quit to join other outfits

CPI(M) politburo member Manik Sarkar has claimed that the BJP has failed to keep leaders in the parties that had toppled the Left Front government in the state in 2018 as five MLAs of the ruling coalition have quit to join other outfits.

The situation has now changed in the northeastern state and three BJP lawmakers have quit and joined different parties, while two Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT) MLAs have joined Tipra Motha, Sarkar said at a state-level programme of the SFI here.

BJP MLAs Sudip Roybarman and Ashis Saha joined the Congress, while Burbu Mohan Tripura of the saffron party, and IPFT's Dhananjoy Tripura and Brishaketu Debbarma are now with the Tipra Motha.

The leader of the opposition in the Tripura Assembly said the defectors of the NDA are publicly saying that they were disheartened and deeply unhappy with the style of functioning by the saffron party.

"This is a big jolt for the ruling party ahead of the election, the former chief minister said on Tuesday.

The Assembly poll in Tripura is due in February next year.

All the anti-Left parties had come together to defeat the Left Front government in Tripura before the 2018 Assembly elections. That resulted in the BJP, whose vote share was less than five per cent before 2018, securing a 42 per cent vote share of the Congress and its ally INPT.

"The Left Front lost seven to eight per cent vote which took the vote share of BJP and its ally IPFT to around 52 per cent and the saffron party won the election, he said.

Criticising the BJP, he said the chief minister had to be changed only 10 months before the Assembly election.

The person (Biplab Kumar Deb) who was applauded by the prime minister had to be moved out of the chief minister's office and a new face (Manik Saha) was brought in to lead the government.

"This was done to divert the people's attention from the failures of the BJP-IPFT government. But this will not save the BJP in the 2023 elections, he said.

Urging the SFI supporters to put up resistance against the saffron party, the CPI(M) leader claimed that the BJP will bite the dust if the people come forward unitedly and decisively.