AGARTALA, Nov 22 - As expected, the CPI(M)-led Left Front swept both the Barjala (SC) and Khowai Assembly seat bypolls in Tripura but emergence of BJP as a major player in the traditional Left bastion has set alarm bells ringing in the ruling party.
The CPI (M) candidate Jhumu Sarkar edged out his nearest BJP rival Shishta Mohan Das by a margin of 3,374 votes. Jhumu had secured 15,769 votes while the BJP candidate got 12,395 votes.
Significantly, the Trinamool candidate and former Minister Prakash Chandra Das got 5,692 votes while Congress candidate Rajendra Das got a paltry 1,063 votes.
However, the pattern in Khowai, a traditional bastion of CPI(M), was altogether different with the CPI (M) candidate Biswajit Dutta outvoting Trinamool rival Manoj Kanti Das by a margin of 16,094 votes. Biswajit Dutta secured 24,810 votes while Manoj Kanti Das of Trinamool got only 8,716 votes. BJP candidate Tapan Chandra Paul managed to secure 2,528 votes while Congress candidate Pranab Kanti Biswas trailed far behind with a paltry 696 votes.
Tripura Left Front has congratulated the people of Barjala and Khowai Assembly constituencies for giving massive victories to LF candidates in the by-election, the result of which was declared this morning.
Speaking to the media at CPI(M) headquarters at Melarmath on Tuesday afternoon, CPI(M) state secretary Bijan Dhar said that the victory in the by-elections reflect the people�s faith in peace, brotherhood and development.
�With every election in Tripura, the vote share of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been increasing, indicating a major change in State�s political situation in the near future�, said State BJP president Biplab Kumar Deb.
Addressing a media conference here at BJP�s State headquarters today, Deb said BJP will never go for making any pre-poll alliance with any political party in the 2018 Assembly elections.
Masses of the country are supporting the pro-people decisions of NDA Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the progress is also being seen in Tripura, said Deb.
�The CPI-M led Left Front in Tripura has been winning the elections with the help of Congress and Trinamool Congress for a long time but the stunning performance of the Saffron party shows the people want a strong political force to defeat the Left Front�, he said.
