Tripura east: Multi-cornered fight on cards, but CPM looks to retain seat

On April 16, the Tripura East Lok Sabha constituency made news after the Election Commission (EC) announced that polling here would be deferred and held on April 23 instead of April 18, saying the time would allow for improvement in law and order.
The decision was preceded by complaints by opposition parties, the CPM and the Congress, who accused workers of the ruling BJP of political violence, rigging and restraining of voters during polling for Tripura West on April 11. The EC also ordered the transfer of Additional DGP (Law and Order) Rajiv Singh. The CPM and Congress have said the EC’s decisions had vindicated their stand.
“The opposition knows they will lose miserably. We are ready whenever they want polls to be held. They are talking about rigging and violence, but in the run-up to polls, the four cases of violence that were registered were complaints by BJP workers that they were beaten up. They beat up our people and are now putting chicken heads on gates to scare people. When you know you will lose, you will try everything,” Ratan Lal Nath, senior minister in the BJP government in Tripura, told  over the phone.

More videos

See All