Agartala, Correspondent: The three main opposition parties in the state-Tipra Motha, CPIM and Congress held a closed-door meeting in Agarta...
Agartala, Correspondent: The three main opposition parties in the state-Tipra Motha, CPIM and Congress held a closed-door meeting in Agartala today to discuss the roadmap for opposition unity ahead of the by-elections to two politically important constituencies: Dhanpur and Buxanagar.
The vote is scheduled to be held on September 5 of next monthA photo of the meeting circulated on social media showed opposition leader Jitendra, the CPIM state secretary, and senior Tipra Motha MP Animesh Debbarma, Congress president Ashish Saha, and Congress MP Sudeep Roy Barman and senior CPIM leader Manik Dey exchanging views.
Leader of Opposition Animesh Debvarma said the meeting was originally called for talks between the CPIM and the Congress, but his party was also invited meeting. I was there to hear what the CPIM and Congress leaders had to say about the anti-unity, which I do not have the power to take decisions in the party. My next task is to inform my party leaders about the proposals of Congress and CPIM leaders so that the opposition front remains united. The sole objective of the meeting is to prevent division of the opposition vote share," Debvarma said.
According to Debvarma, the results of the 2023 general elections have made the will of the voters clear, but because of some candidates. Election miscalculation, BJP retained power. "BJP got less than 40 percent votes but still managed to retain power. On the other hand, the significant opposition bloc received more than 60 percent of the vote but fell short of the magic number. The voting pattern has made it clear what the people want," Debbarma said.
CPIM state secretary Jitendra Chaudhary could not be reached for comment on the matter.
Meanwhile, Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee President Ashish Kumar Saha told reporters that the meeting marked the formal start of talks between the three parties with a common objective of opposition unity.
He said that no party wanted to give the BJP an edge in the higher by-elections, so alignment among the opposition was urgently needed. "No political party wants to enter a political contest alone as it may help the BJP score some plus points and a united opposition could change the entire calculus of the ruling party. A well-measured strategy with calculable risks could lead to BJP's defeat in both the seats." Said Saha.
According to Saha, there will be more rounds of negotiations before a mutually acceptable outcome is reached. "Hopefully, the picture will be completely clear in the next two days", predicted the TPCC president.
According to CPIM sources, however, this is known. The party that will field candidates in both the seats and support the Congress and Tipra Motha. "With the support of Left Congress, the strongest opposition force in both the constituencies and Tipra Motha, who have a presence in some selected areas, the strength of the opposition bloc will increase manifold. Efforts are being made to ensure anti-establishment jumping by the opposition in lock stock and barrel. We hope this new alignment will give a strong fight to the ruling party", said a senior CPIM leader.
