Left parties to step up stir for fresh polling in Tripura West

Agartala, April 29 (IANS) Demanding fresh voting in the Tripura West parliamentary constituency, the Left parties would intensify their agitations until the Election Commission declares re-polling in the entire Lok Sabha seat, Left leaders said here on Monday.

The Left parties led by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) on Monday held demonstrations and protest rallies across the Tripura West constituency protesting "farcical polling in the parliamentary seat on April 11".

"Since the BJP led government came to power in Tripura in March last year, a 'goonda raj' has been established," said Left Front convener Bijan Dhar.

"On the first phase of elections to the the Tripura West parliamentary seat on April 11, BJP workers turned the polling totally farcical by indulging in large-scale rigging, intimidation and attacks on opposition party supporters and voters," said Dhar.

The Left leader said the Election Commission in Delhi and election officials in Tripura had repeatedly assured the Left parties that polling would be free and fair, "but the commission miserably failed to do so."

Dhar said they have on a number of occasions told the Chief Electoral Officer Sriram Taranikanti that from the scrutiny of official reports, documents, video and webcasting footages of the poll process in the seat, it was established beyond doubt that voting was totally rigged by the ruling BJP members.

Former Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, CPI-M state secretary Gautam Das and other Left leaders took part in these demonstrations.

A delegation of Left leaders on Tuesday would meet the Election Commission in Delhi to reiterate their demand.

Tripura Pradesh Congress Vice-President Tapas Dey said that a Congress delegation led by state party president Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarman would meet the Election Commission again demanding fresh polling in the Tripura West seat.

Tripura Pradesh Congress Vice-President Pijush Kanti Biswas said if the EC did not hold fresh polling, his party would move the Supreme Court.

The BJP, however, dismissed these accusations. "None of our party members was involved in rigging," said BJP spokesman Nabendu Bhattacharjee, adding the opposition parties were making excuses in the face of their certain defeat.

Meanwhile, an EC official said after the scrutiny of reports, documents, video and webcasting footages of the poll process in the seat, detailed reports had been sent to the poll panel on Friday. "The commission after studying these reports may declare a re-poll soon in a large number of polling stations," an EC official told IANS.