The political parties in Tripura have upped their ante and started campaigning rigorously ahead of the state assembly elections scheduled to take place on February 16 this year. All eyes are on the state as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-IPFT alliance, CPI(M)-Congress alliance, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the newly launched Tipra Motha gear up for the upcoming elections.

BJP plans roadshow today

As the poll nears, top BJP leaders and ministers Rajnath Singh and Yogi Adityanath arrived in Tripura to hold two election rallies on Tuesday. Singh will address at rallies in Kailashahar of Unakoti district and Badarghat, while Adityanath, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, will hold two rallies in Bagabassa and Kalyanpur.

Earlier in the day, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha conducted a rally in Agartala.

Tripura CM Manik Saha conducts a rally in Agartala, ahead of #TripuraElections2023 pic.twitter.com/RHPdeio83X

— ANI (@ANI) February 7, 2023

CPI(M) hits out at BJP

Amid the mega show by political parties, CPI(M) leader Manik Sarkar hit out at the ruling BJP and said the latter is “scared of two of its rivals coming together” to oust the “fascist ruler” in the northeastern state. He also accused it of “throttling democracy” in the northeastern state during its rule in the past five years.

"The BJP must be thinking about how its two rivals have joined hands. They are also questioning the morality of the electoral adjustment but the reality is that the people want to oust the fascist ruler from power,” he said at an election rally in Dhalai district's Surma assembly constituency on Monday.

Security arrangements have been tightened in the northeastern state in view of the scheduled visit of the political leaders. Notably, Union Home Minister and Senior BJP leader Amit Shah had on Monday held two rallies and a road show in the poll-bound Tripura.

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Shah had alleged that Tipra Motha has a ”secret understanding” with the Congress and the CPI(M), and that the newly formed regional party was ”trying to bring back Communist rule in the state by misleading indigenous people”.

First Published:Feb 7, 2023 10:11 AM IST