Agartala: Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha on Sunday called the 81 per cent vote casting in the first phase of Tripura polls a historic event and said that the state had yet again set another precedent of violence-free elections. At the same time, Dr Saha took a swipe at the INDIA bloc’s demand for fresh elections stating that the opposition was being “desperate” in search of an escape route from the imminent defeat.
“The officials who have been supervising the elections had already made it clear that the allegations of poll malpractices were not right. The officials in response to the claims of large-scale rigging and Booth capturing stated that in many polling booths, the opposition parties did not have polling agents. But, to cover up their own weakness, they (the opposition) blamed the election machinery,” said Dr Saha.
He was speaking at an election rally in North Tripura district to canvass for BJP East Tripura candidate Kriti Singh Debbarman. The East Tripura seat is set for polls on the second phase of the elections slated on April 26 next.
Citing the electoral failures of in previous polls, Dr Saha said, “The CPIM and Congress will draw a blank in the Lok Sabha polls here in Tripura.”
Addressing criticism of BJP’s candidate as an ‘outsider’, Dr Saha staunchly defended her as a member of the state’s royal family. According to him, marrying into another state can’t make one an outsider.
He derided the opposition’s arguments as irrational and aimed at creating confusion among voters.
Finally, Dr Saha blamed the Left for Tripura’s industrial decline, attributing it to anti-industrial sentiments and labour disputes.
He credited the BJP with creating a more conducive environment for industrial investment in the state.
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