Tripura CPI(M) to take initiatives to rejuvenate party organisation

The CPI(M) will take steps to revitalise the party organisation in Tripura, according to state party secretary Jitendra Chowdhury. 

He urged all democratic forces to work together to restore democratic ideals that had been "throttled" in Tripura during the BJP's five-year administration in the northeastern state. 

"A pool of talent emerged in the 2023 Assembly election, defying all threats and intimations." 
"We have decided to reorganise the organisation in order to carry on the movement for the restoration of democracy in Tripura," he said at a news conference here on Thursday, following a brainstorming session to examine the party's performance in the assembly election. 

"We don't think electoral understanding among the democratic forces has ended with the completion of the assembly election. The CPI(M) wants to stretch it for safeguarding the constitution and its democratic values", he said. 

Also Read: Tripura: CPI(M) alleges TIPRA secretly helped BJP win assembly poll in the state

Noting that the BJP won the election by taking advantage of the division in the anti-BJP vote bank, the former MP said the CPI(M) wanted to consolidate the anti-BJP forces including Tipra Motha to defeat the BJP. 

"We made serious attempts to bring Tipra Motha to join us (Left-Congress) but it was Motha's leadership who had sought 'written assurance' to Greater Tipraland. Now, they are waiting for the engagement of an interlocutor for a constitutional solution to the indigenous problems", he said. 

"Not only did the Tipra Motha field candidates in 20 tribal reserved seats, but it also fielded candidates in 22 general constituencies at the last minute, knowing that its candidates had no chance of winning." "This helped the BJP win 32 seats on its own," he claimed. He asserted that if Tipra Motha had remained with the Left-Congress coalition, the alliance's seat count might have been 31/32, which is 16 to 17 higher than its current strength. 

"The Tipra Motha would have won 17 to 18 seats, while the saffron brigade would have been reduced to a single-digit number." "However, everything went wrong because of Motha's rigid stance on contesting the election alone, which aided the BJP in forming the government," he added. 

The experienced tribal leader claimed that the BJP utilised all of its strength in the run-up to the polls, including money, violence, and the use of administration, and that the ruling party's support base has shifted as its seats and vote share have decreased. 

The BJP gained just 32 seats in the 60-member Assembly in the 2023 Assembly election, compared to 36 in the previous general elections. 

Its vote share has been lowered by 11% to 40%. The Left-Congress alliance received 36.03 percent of the vote, while Tipra Motha received 19.90 percent.