Source: The Sangai Express
Tripura, March 07:
Inflicting a crushing blow on its opponents, the Left Front today stormed back to power for the fourth consecutive time in Tripura securing a three-fourth majority in the 60-member assembly.
With all the results pouring in, the CPI-M, the dominant partner, gained three-fourth majority on its own bagging 46 seats while its allies RSP pocketed two seats and the CPI one.
The Opposition Congress was routed winning only ten seats and its partner Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT) had to remain content with a single seat.
INTP's consolation victory came when its president Bijoy Kumar Hrangkhwal scraped through by 115 votes in Hrishyamukh constituency.
Chief Minister Manik Sarkar (CPI-M) romped home from Dhanpur constituency defeating his nearest rival by 2,900 votes.
In Kolkata, West Bengal CPI-M Secretary Biman Bose, hailing the Left Front's landslide victory, said the verdict was a lesson to the Congress for "trying to divide tribals and non-tribals".
Prominent Front winners were Finance Minister Badal Chowdhury (CPI-M) who retained the Hrishyamukh seat by a margin of 7761 votes and Labour Minister Faizur Rahman who won from Kurti.
Other CPI-M winners included Bijita Nath (Kadamtala seat), Amitava Dutta (Dharmanagar), Samir Deb Sarkar (Khowai) and Daniel Jamatia (Ampinagar).
RSP's Joygobinda Deb Roy retained the Radhakishorepur seat defeating Congress' Pranjit Singharoy by 312 votes.