“We will get more seats than we did in 2018,” Manik Saha told NDTV this morning.
Agartala:
As Tripura’s 60 assembly seats voted in a multi-cornered fight, incumbent Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha said he was confident of a win and urged voters to turn out in large numbers.
“I am confident we will win the elections. We will get more seats than we did in 2018,” he told NDTV this morning.
The BJP had won 36 seats in Tripura in the 2018 elections. The party appointed Biplab Deb as Chief Minister, but replaced him with Dr Saha last year.
The Chief Minister said there was no anti-incumbency in Tripura. “Our road to victory has become simple,” he said.
On Congress’ claim that their alliance with the CPM has made them stronger, Dr Saha said, “If they are so strong and confident, why are they not contesting alone?”
According to the Election Commission, Tripura has over 28.14 lakh voters. Voting started at 7 am at 3,337 polling booths and will continue till 4 pm. As many as 259 candidates are in the contest this time.
The BJP is contesting the polls in alliance with tribal body Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT). The Left and the Congress have tied up, while the Trinamool is going solo. But a force to watch out for is the Tipra Motha, helmed by the scion of Tripura’s erstwhile royal family, Pradyot Manikya Debbarma.
The tribal party may emerge as a kingmaker if the multi-cornered fight throws up a hung result.