AGARTALA, Jan 20 - BJP on Saturday claimed a deal has been sealed with NC Debbarma-led Indigenous People�s Front of Tripura (IPFT) in Guwahati.
However, both BJP State president Biplab Deb and party prabhari Sunil Deodhar could not specify the seat share between the two sides. �What we can tell is that BJP and IPFT have agreed to contest the coming Assembly elections together. Details on the issue will be declared by party�s national secretary Ram Madhav and party�s election in-charge Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma�, said State party president here today.
Ram Madhav and Dr Sarma are scheduled to arrive here on Sunday to declare the electoral understanding with IPFT, finalisation of party nominees and vision document for the upcoming polls.
Deb said, �The party is still keeping its doors open for alliance with smaller parties to avoid splitting of anti-Left vote bank in the elections. We are in touch with parties like Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT) and INPFT/Tipraha to forge an alliance�.
Deodhar said a party delegation has met Dy Election Commissioner Sudip Jain, who was on a two-day visit to the poll-bound State and lodged some complaints against the ruling party.
�We told the Dy EC that the ruling party has been indulging in forceful collection in the name of election fund from government employees. If employees voluntarily pay money, they should not be engaged in election duties�, he demanded.
Deodhar said a list of seven officials accused of working for the ruling party was handed over to Dy EC. �We believe, the EC will do the needful to ensure free and fair elections�, he said. Two Trinamool Congress leaders � Bijoy Debbarma and Biplab Kar along with 400 voters have joined the saffron brigade.
