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Manik Sarkar
Asking the Election Commission (EC) to ensure free and fair elections in Tripura, former chief minister Manik Sarkar alleged the poll panel set a bad precedent in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and the last by-elections as people could not vote freely. His comment came just two days before the scheduled arrival of the full bench of the EC in the state to review preparedness for the assembly polls. "You have set a bad precedent in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and by-elections to the four assembly constituencies in Tripura. Genuine voters could not exercise their franchise freely on these two occasions," Sarkar said, addressing a programme organised by CPI(M)-backed trade union CITU at the Vivekananda Ground here on Sunday. He claimed that when the CPI(M) tried to draw the attention of EC functionaries to the alleged misconduct of BJP workers, "the EC officials said they were not responsible for what happened outside polling stations and the police would look into such grievances". "This time,
Calling all "secular and democratic forces" to unite against the "assault on people's liberty" by the BJP, Manik Sarkar, the leader of opposition in Tripura, said that the saffron camp's "bid to loot votes" during the upcoming assembly polls would be resisted by all means. Addressing a press conference here on Thursday night, Sarkar said that the Left parties are expecting a positive response from all "secular" outfits. "The CPI (M) seeks to corner the BJP and the RSS, intensify political struggle and defeat the divisive forces. All secular and democratic forces are welcome to join the battle," he insisted. Sarkar also said that his party, during a high-level meeting, has decided that the local leadership will be allowed to take a call on formation of electoral alliances in respective states. Coming down heavily on the ruling BJP, he said that the saffron camp, "scared of defeat" in 2023 elections, is trying to scuttle political programmes organized by opposition parties in the ...
CPI(M) politburo member Manik Sarkar has claimed that the BJP has failed to keep leaders in the parties that had toppled the Left Front government in the state in 2018 as five MLAs of the ruling coalition have quit to join other outfits. The situation has now changed in the northeastern state and three BJP lawmakers have quit and joined different parties, while two Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT) MLAs have joined Tipra Motha, Sarkar said at a state-level programme of the SFI here. BJP MLAs Sudip Roybarman and Ashis Saha joined the Congress, while Burbu Mohan Tripura of the saffron party, and IPFT's Dhananjoy Tripura and Brishaketu Debbarma are now with the Tipra Motha. The leader of the opposition in the Tripura Assembly said the defectors of the NDA are publicly saying that they were disheartened and deeply unhappy with the style of functioning by the saffron party. "This is a big jolt for the ruling party ahead of the election, the former chief minister said on ...