Tripura Congress leader Sudip Roy Barman has extended an appeal to the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) for support in contesting two parliamentary seats in the state during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, with a common goal of countering the BJP.
Earlier this year, during the assembly elections, the CPI(M)-led Left Front forged an electoral alliance with its erstwhile rival, the Congress, to jointly combat the BJP-Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) alliance.
Tripura comprises two parliamentary constituencies, namely West Tripura and East Tripura (a reserved seat for Scheduled Tribes), both of which were won by the BJP in the 2019 elections.
Sudip Roy Barman expressed the Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee’s (TPCC) readiness to face the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. He acknowledged the significance of the assembly polls, where the CPI(M) contested in more seats than the Congress. Even in the recent by-elections for the Dhanpur and Boxangar seats, the CPI(M) fielded candidates.
In the 60-member assembly elections held in February, the Congress contested in 13 seats, while the Left Front fielded candidates in 47 seats. Despite the alliance, the Left Front secured only 13 seats, and in the subsequent by-election, the CPI(M) lost two seats to BJP candidates.
Roy Barman emphasized the need for support from the CPI(M) to counter the BJP in the state during the parliamentary elections. He highlighted that the Congress cannot perpetually make sacrifices and urged for collaborative efforts.
However, he clarified that the TPCC would adhere to decisions made by the central leadership of the party. When questioned about potential discussions with the Tipra Motha, the primary opposition party in Tripura, Roy Barman revealed that Pradyot Kishore Manikya, the regional party’s leader, had recently visited him to discuss pertinent issues.