Agartala: August 13: Leader of the opposition, Jitendra Chowdhury, has raised concerns about the recent Panchayat elections in Tripura, claiming that the results do not reflect the true verdict of the people. In a press conference today, he asserted that if fair, free, and peaceful elections had been held, the BJP would not have won even 20 percent of the seats.
Jitendra Chowdhury accused the BJP of creating an atmosphere of fear since the announcement of the Panchayat election dates. He alleged that BJP-affiliated individuals attacked opposition workers, preventing CPM candidates from filing nominations, resulting in injuries and one fatality among CPM workers.
He further claimed that BJP nominees won unopposed in about 71 percent of the seats before the elections. On polling day, voters were allegedly intimidated and sent home, and during the vote counting, opposition workers were reportedly barred from entering counting centers in various blocks.
Jitendra Chowdhury also criticized the State Election Commission for not providing adequate security to opposition agents, leading to a chaotic situation on the day of the results. He mentioned incidents in Rajnagar, Kakandraban, Tepaniya, Kadamtala, Kathanlia, Yuvrajnagar, and Chandipur blocks, where opposition agents were forcibly removed from counting centers. He stated that despite multiple appeals, the Election Commission failed to address the issue.
He reported that CPIM leaders and workers were injured in an attack at the Kanthalia counting center and are currently receiving treatment at GB Hospital. Jitendra Chowdhury emphasized that the BJP’s actions are an attempt to establish a dictatorship in the state and vowed to intensify the fight against the BJP government in the coming days.
