The November 27 Urban Local Body (ULB) polls in Tripura will see contests in 268 seats across 16 Civic Bodies, while the BJP has already secured 77 seats without opposition, triggering allegations from the CPIM and Congress leaders on ‘intimidation’ and ‘violence during the nomination’ process.
At A Glance
-
The BJP has secured 77 seats unopposed across eight municipal bodies after the nomination withdrawal deadline.
-
Polling will take place in the remaining 268 of 345 seats across 16 Urban Local Bodies on November 27.
-
Opposition CPIM and Congress have accused the ruling party of intimidation and violence against their candidates.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Tripura has secured 77 seats without a contest ahead of November 27 Urban Local Body (ULB) elections. The Tripura State Election Commission (SEC) declared the party’s candidates elected unopposed after the withdrawal of nominations ended on Tuesday afternoon.
The development has triggered fresh political controversy, with opposition CPI(M) and Congress leaders accusing the ruling party of using threats and violence to prevent their candidates from contesting in several municipal bodies.
According to a senior SEC official, the BJP secured all 65 seats across five municipal bodies where no opposition or other political parties had fielded candidates. The party also won another 12 seats without a contest in three other municipal bodies.
Consequently, the BJP has secured 77 of the total 345 seats across Tripura’s 21 Urban Local Bodies before polling begins.
BJP Wins 65 Seats in Five Municipal Bodies Without Opposition
The five municipal bodies where the BJP secured all 65 seats are Kamalpur in Dhalai district, Santir Bazar in South Tripura, and Ranir Bazar, Jirania and Mohanpur in West Tripura district.
The SEC official said no opposition or other political parties had nominated candidates in these five municipal bodies. As a result, all 65 BJP nominees were declared elected unopposed.
The BJP secured another 12 seats in three municipal bodies. These include Ambassa in Dhalai district, Teliamura in Khowai district and Bishalgarh in Sepahijala district.
With these unopposed victories, the ruling party has already secured a significant number of seats before the November 27 polling.
CPIM, Congress Allege Threats Against Opposition Candidates
Opposition leaders have questioned the circumstances surrounding the unopposed victories. They alleged that ruling party supporters intimidated opposition candidates and their proposers to prevent them from participating in the elections.
CPIM Tripura State Secretary and Leader of the Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury accused BJP workers and activists of attacking Left Front leaders, candidates and supporters.
He alleged that several incidents of political violence had occurred across different districts, leaving more than 20 CPIM leaders and members injured.
Chaudhury further claimed that the party had repeatedly submitted written complaints and requested intervention from the authorities. However, neither the police nor the SEC took adequate steps to prevent the attacks or initiate action against those responsible, he alleged.
The CPIM leader also accused the state police of failing to implement a Tripura High Court order directing the authorities to provide security to opposition candidates.
Congress Working Committee member Sudip Roy Barman and Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee president Asish Kumar Saha also raised similar allegations.
Both Congress leaders accused the ruling party of relying on intimidation and violence to undermine the electoral process.
The allegations have added to the political tension ahead of the municipal elections. The ruling BJP’s unopposed victories and the opposition’s complaints have become major issues in the run-up to polling.
CPIM-Congress Electoral Understanding Fails
The CPIM and Congress had earlier explored the possibility of jointly contesting the November 27 ULB elections.
However, several rounds of discussions between the two parties failed to produce an agreement. They could not reach a common understanding on contesting the elections together.
The elections will cover 16 of Tripura’s 21 Urban Local Bodies across all eight districts. The Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC), which has 51 seats, is among the municipal bodies going to the polls.
Over 6.29 Lakh Voters Eligible to Cast Ballots
A total of 6,29,903 voters are eligible to participate in the November 27 elections, according to the SEC official.
The electorate includes 3,21,743 women, 3,08,115 men and 45 third-gender voters.
The terms of all 21 Urban Local Bodies, including the Agartala Municipal Corporation, are scheduled to expire on December 9.
Following the unopposed election of 77 BJP candidates, polling will take place in the remaining 268 seats across 16 ULBs.
Of the total 345 seats in the state’s 21 Urban Local Bodies, 162 have been reserved for women. The reservation also includes 80 seats for Scheduled Caste (SC) candidates and nine seats for Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates.
The Agartala Municipal Corporation accounts for 51 of the total seats. The SEC has scheduled vote counting for December 2, five days after polling. (Edited by Enewstime Desk)