Congress holds talks with CPI-M on seat adjustments in Tripura polls

As per their earlier announcements, the CPI-M and the Congress on Friday held discussions on seat adjustments and contesting the upcoming Tripura Assembly elections together.

Congress' Tripura in-charge Ajay Kumar, accompanied by state general secretary Prashanta Bhattacharjee, visited CPI-M Tripura state headquarters in Agartala on Friday night and held meeting with the Left leaders led by CPI-M Tripura state secretary Jitendra Chowdhury, also a former Tripura minister.

After the meeting, Kumar said that the Congress has been urging all the "anti-BJP parties" to come together to defeat the saffron party in the assembly polls in Tripura.

"Tripura needs jobs and freedom from fear and violence. BJP must be ousted from power," he told the media.

Chowdhury, also a CPI-M Central Committee member, without disclosing the details of the meeting with the Congress leaders said that the process for the seat adjustment just started and more such meetings would be held to finalise the seat adjustments between the two parties.

CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury on Wednesday said that his party is ready to make seat adjustments with Congress and the tribal based party TIPRA (Tipraha Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance) to defeat the ruling BJP in the upcoming assembly polls in Tripura.

Yechury had said that the prime target was to defeat BJP in the assembly polls and for this, formation of an alternative secular and democratic front was necessary.

"Seat adjustment aimed to pull maximum votes in favour of the secular parties. In the CPI-M's 23rd party Congress (held at Kannur in Kerala) a suitable electoral tactical policy was adopted to fight against the BJP and RSS. We are seeking secular parties' unity," the CPI-M general secretary told the media after the party's two-day state committee meeting.

Tripura along with Meghalaya and Nagaland would go to assembly polls in February end.

--IANS

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