The worst scenario is the hung assembly in Tripura
Biswanath Bhattacharya
February 13, 2023, 07:08:00
The alliance between the Congress and the Left Front in Tripura; where elections will be held coming Thursday (16 February), is likely to benefit both parties. The deep distrust and animosity between the workers and activists of the Left, primarily the Communist Party of India (Marxist), and Congress appeared to have been eliminated.
Faced with the realisation that a divided opposition would make it very easy for the BJP to return to power in the state, both entered into an understanding over sharing of seats.
The CPI(M) admits that the Left-Congress seat-sharing deal was spurred by the prospect of an aggressive BJP returning to power in Tripura. The seat-sharing deal is the only way to counter the BJP. Without the deal, the BJP would have returned to power very easily and the very existence of the opposition would then be under severe threat.
Having said so, it is difficult to foresee the outcome of the election result. The voters are silent and are not vociferous.
The royal scion Pradyot Kishore Debbarman- head of Tipra Motha- must be playing a very crucial role if there is no mandate in favour of either of the parties.
The probability of a hung assembly is looming large. Though all the parties are offering freebies without blinking their eyelids , the voters of Tripura are too conscious to be duped.
Now, Maharaj Pradyot Kishore Debbarman though publicly saying that there is no alliance of Tipra Motha with any of the parties, the fielding of no candidate against Jiten Choudhury, the Secretary of the CPI(M) party in Tripura, rather publicly supporting his candidature and the sudden appearance of him in the election meeting of one independent candidate supported by both CPI(M) and the Congress is NOT poignant with any mystery. In the Tripura battle, the ‘king’ may be a kingmaker. “Shh”, he whispers into the microphone and silence descends on the gathering of a few thousand. The shush, a no-fail strategy for Debbarma at almost each of his rallies, is a window into the 44-year-old’s hold over his constituency — the 19 tribal communities who collectively form over 30 per cent of Tripura’s population and have a say in 20 reserved seats, of the total 60, in the state Assembly.
As the state elections draw near, the Motha, which was formed merely two years ago, has emerged as a crucial factor alongside national parties such as the BJP, Congress and CPI(M). Riding on a homegrown demand for tribal autonomy and banking on Pradyot’s own personal appeal as the descendant of the state’s erstwhile Manikya dynasty, the party may as well end up playing the kingmaker in the event of a close election.
In a state that had more than eight tribal parties merely two years ago, Pradyot’s entry has narrowed the fight down to two of these — his Motha and the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT), which, despite several desertions and defections, is sticking to its 2018 ally, the BJP.
The entire family of Shri Pradyot Kishore Debbarman was Congress only and the Congress is its natural ally. Maharaj was the president of the Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee until driven away by the vested interest within the Congress.
Though the lacklustre campaign of the CPI(M) and the Congress pales into insignificance compared to the money-rich BJP, it may not reflect the actual position.
The best thing in this election is that there has not been a major worsening of Law and order until now, Shri Kiran Gitte, the veteran of so many wars and the present Election Commissioner has reined in extremely well.
The worst scenario is the hung assembly and the president’s role in keeping the Assembly in an animated condition.
Hopefully, the voters will be able to cast their votes fearlessly.
(Tripurainfo)