Tripura Elections 2023: Tripura gears up for a fight over 60 seats
Tripura Elections 2023: Voting for the Assembly Elections is underway and the fight is on 60 seats.
Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Gitte Kirankumar Dinakarro informed, “3,337 polling places are open today for voting, starting at 7 am and ending at 4 pm. Around 1,100 voting stations in the state have been selected as ‘sensitive’. In contrast, another 28 have been selected as critical”, PTI reported.
To Defeat the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2023 assembly elections, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Congress, two bitter opponents in Tripura’s political scene, have united for the first time.
High Voter enthusiasm #TripuraElections2023 indicates peaceful atmosphere prevailing in the State for conduct of polls under the aegis of Election Commission of India. Adequate security forces made available to instil a sense of confidence among voters. Some glimpses 4m PSs pic.twitter.com/jZalOigPbT
— Spokesperson ECI (@SpokespersonECI) February 16, 2023
Communist Party and its 25 years of rules
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) ruled the state for 25 years by winning five consecutive assembly elections starting in 1993, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was expected to fight it out until the bitter end in the 2018 assembly elections in Tripura. Manik Sarkar, the current four year-term Chief Minister, was a credible face for the CPM and one of India’s most admired politicians due to his austere lifestyle and clean political record.
However, in the end, a split in the anti-CPM vote was avoided due to the BJP’s coalition with the tribal party, Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) and the total collapse of the Congress vote (from 37 percent in 2013 to 1.8 percent in 2018). BJP beat CPM by 1.4 percentage points, and the combined vote of the BJP and IPFT outperformed the Left by 6 percentage points.
The big question on everyone’s mind as Tripura voters make their way to the polls to cast their vote, for or against the current BJP government, is whether there will be a surprise. Because only a few Left leaders were shocked when the Left government in Tripura was ousted in 2018. Years of Left-wing rule had long been associated with political unrest and, later, insurgency-related conflict. In addition, unemployment was extremely high due to the state’s isolation and the apathy suffered by northeast India.
Unfulfilled Promises of BJP
Additionally, the BJP needed to maintain its commitment to normalise contract workers in Tripura. These workers significantly boosted the party’s support in 2018. Pump operators, Sarva Siksha Abhiyan teachers, madrasa teachers, daily wage labourers, ASHA employees, etc., still need to be addressed five years later.
PM Modi Appeals
As the northeastern state of Tripura went to the polls today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the electorate to cast their votes in “record numbers and strengthen the festival of democracy”. PM Modi invited the young voters to cast votes in a tweet.
Urging the people of Tripura to vote in record numbers and strengthen the festival of democracy. I specially call upon the youth to exercise their franchise.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 16, 2023
“Vote without fear”
On Thursday, Mallikarjun Kharge, the president of the Congress, urged the people of Tripura to cast their votes in the assembly elections “without fear” and said that they were all working together for change.
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“People of Tripura are united for change. Sincerely urge everyone, especially the youth, to come out and participate in the festival of Democracy and vote for peace and progress. Vote without fear,” Kharge tweeted.
People of Tripura are united for change.
Sincerely urge everyone, especially the youth to come out and participate in the festival of Democracy and vote for peace and progress.
Vote, without fear. #TripuraElection2023
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) February 16, 2023
In Tripura, there are about 28.14 lakh eligible voters, of which 14,15,233 are men, 13,99,289 women, and 62 are of a third gender.
94,815 voters between the ages of 18 and 19 and 6,21,505 between the ages of 22 and 29 will cast votes. 9,81,089 people in the 40 to 59 age group are eligible to vote, according to the Election Commission.
259 candidates are running for the 60 Assembly seats.
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