Agartala, March 9: Even before the formal announcement of the election schedule, the Left Front on Monday released its list of candidates for the upcoming elections to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) along with its nominee for the Dharmanagar Assembly by-election.
The list was announced by Left Front convenor Manik Dey in the presence of CPI(M) state secretary Jiten Chaudhury at a press conference.
Addressing the media, Dey said the list of candidates was finalized during a meeting of the Left Front committee after detailed discussions. He stressed that the upcoming TTAADC elections would be crucial for the future development and governance of the tribal areas.
Recalling the history of the district council, Dey said it was formed with the objective of ensuring the overall development of the tribal-dominated areas. He claimed that the Left Front had largely ensured stability, peace and progress in the council during its long tenure, except for three brief phases in 1990, 2000 and the current period.
However, he alleged that development activities in the ADC areas have come to a standstill under the present regime led by Tipra Motha.
“This election is extremely important because the BJP and Tipra Motha, both in government, are jointly running corruption and looting funds meant for development,” Dey alleged.
He further claimed that while there has been little visible development or improvement in the lives of common people, leaders of the ruling parties were allegedly benefiting from public resources.
“Though there is no change in the condition of the common people, the ruling party leaders are reaping the benefits. People are now openly expressing their resentment,” he said.
Dey asserted that only the Left Front could effectively run the TTAADC and restore development in the tribal areas while maintaining peace and stability.
Claiming that public sentiment is gradually shifting in favour of the Left Front, he expressed confidence that voters would reject the BJP-Tipra Motha alliance in the upcoming elections.
The Left Front also demanded that the polls be conducted in a free, fair and peaceful manner.
Dey appealed to voters to remain vigilant during the electoral process and not fall prey to any inducements or “traps”. He urged people to “fight back democratically” against what he termed corruption and misgovernance.
For the upcoming by-election to the Dharmanagar Assembly constituency, the Left Front has nominated Amitabha Datta of CPI(M) as its candidate.
The alliance has announced candidates for most of the TTAADC constituencies, including Barendra Reang (Damcherra-Jampui), Ramakanta Nath (Kanchanpur), Sadhan Chakma (Karamcherra), Khusiram Tripura (Chawmanu), Rahul Das (Manu), Sumati Ranjan Chakma (Raimavalley), Dhanchamani Reang (Gandacherra-Ganganagar), Karim Debbarma (Asharambari-Halahali), Atul Debbarma (Kulai-Chamlahaur), Ratan Kishore Jamatia (Teliamura-Maharani), Surya Debbarma (Mandwi-Pulinpur), Radhacharan Debbarma (Jirania) and several others.
Meanwhile, the Machmara seat has been allotted to the All India Forward Bloc (AIFB), whose candidate will be announced later. Narendra Reang of CPI will contest from Birchandra-Kalashi, while the RSP has nominated Haradhan Jamatia from Maharani-Chellagang constituency.
