AGARTALA, Feb 12: The Tripura CPI(M) has initiated discussions with the Congress to put up a united fight against the BJP-IPFT combine in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, a senior leader said on Monday.
In the 2023 assembly elections, the CPI(M) had fought against the BJP-IPFT after forming an electoral understanding with the Congress.
“We have discussed the state’s prevailing political scenario in the light of the upcoming Parliamentary elections in the CPI(M) state committee meeting today. As part of the spirit of the INDIA bloc, we already had the first round of talks with the Congress and requested them to consider the proposal of jointly contesting the elections,” CPI(M) state secretary Jitendra Choudhury said after the party’s state committee meeting.
Choudhury said the CPI(M) will also discuss the issue with its central leadership regarding a joint fight of all anti-BJP forces in the Lok Sabha election to maintain the spirit of the INDIA bloc.
He clarified that during the initial talks, no discussions were held on seat sharing or other issues with the Congress.
“This was the first round of talks. No discussion took place on seat sharing with the Congress”, he said.
The northeastern state has two Parliamentary constituencies – West Tripura and East Tripura, with one being a scheduled tribe reserved constituency.
Regarding discussions with Tipra Motha, the main opposition party in the northeastern state, Choudhury expressed hope that they would make a decision after understanding the situation.
He criticised Tipra Motha for not taking action despite alleged lack of development activities in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) and delayed salaries for tribal council employees.
Despite discussions with the CPI(M) and Congress, Tipra Motha had contested the 2023 Assembly elections alone, allegedly facilitating the victory of the BJP-IPFT combine. (PTI)
