BJP-IPFT alliance to remain despite junior ally's separate contest in LS polls: Tripura CM

Agartala, May 24 (IANS) Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb has said that despite the BJP's junior electoral partner IPFT contesting the just-concluded Lok Sabha polls separately, their alliance in the state would continue as it was.

"No, no the BJP-IPFT alliance in Tripura would continue as it was," Deb, also President of the Bharatiya Janata Party's Tripura Pradesh Committee, said here on Thursday night when reporters asked about the fate of the coalition of the two parties as the IPFT contested the parliamentary polls against the dominant party.

The saffron party in alliance with the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) wrested power in the state for the first time in the 2018 Assembly polls delivering a humiliating defeat to the Left Front after 25 years.

However, in the just-held Lok Sabha election, minor ally IPFT fielded candidates in the two seats defying the BJP's repeated appeals.

Both the candidates - IPFT President and Revenue Minister Narendra Chandra Debbarma (Tripura East) and Brishaketu Debbarma (Tripura West) - secured poor votes - 45,304 (4.33 per cent of the valid votes polled) and 44,225 (3.99 per cent), respectively.

Refusing to give details, the Chief Minister said: "Some leaders and officials have conspired against us and the BJP before the parliamentary polls. Action would be taken against them in the next two months."

Terming the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) as "complain party", Deb said: "Due to their (CPI-M leaders) negative activities, mindset and attitude, Left party's vote share in the Lok Sabha polls reduced to 15 from 19 per cent in the state. With the 13-month performance of the BJP-IPFT government, our (BJP) vote share increased to a large extent."

The BJP, which secured six per cent of votes in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, managed 49.03 per cent votes in these polls while the CPI-M's vote share reduced to 17.31 per cent this time from the 64 per cent in 2014.

Praising Tripura Pradesh Congress chief Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarman's personality and work, the BJP Tripura state chief said: "Due to his (Congress leader) performance, the vote share of congress has increased."

The Congress, which had secured 15.2 per cent votes in the 16th parliamentary polls, bagged 25.34 per cent votes in the 17th general election.

The Chief Minister, crediting the BJP's performance in Tripura to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief Amit Shah, said that a constructive opposition party is always good for the nation and state and also for good governance.

In its maiden victory in Tripura's Lok Sabha battle, the ruling BJP won the state's two seats by a huge margin of votes.

In Tripura West, BJP candidate Pratima Bhoumik secured 5,73,532 votes (51.77 per cent of votes polled) and won the seat defeating her Congress rival Subal Bhowmik by a margin of 3,05,689 votes.

In the tribal reserved Tripura East seat, BJP's Rebati Tripura won bagging 4,82,126 votes (46.12 per cent) and beating his Congress rival Pragya Deb Burman by a margin of 2,04,290 votes.