Agartala: A day after the by-election results of two assembly seats in Tripura, which were won by the ruling BJP with huge margins, the CPI-M Politburo on Saturday reiterated their stand of countermanding the by-polls in Boxanagar and Dhanpur in Sepahijala district, as the results indicated mass rigging in the election.
CPI-M Six months ago, in the assembly elections, the BJP lost the Boxanagar seat to CPI-M candidate Samsul Haque by a margin of about 5000 votes when the turnout was 89.33 percent.
In the by-election, the polling percentage was reduced to 89.2 percent, but the BJP candidate won the seat by a margin of over 30,000 votes, which itself justified the large-scale rigging.
Similarly, in Dhanpur during the 2023 assembly poll, BJP candidate Pratima Bhoumik registered her victory in a multi-cornered fight by a margin of about 3500 votes, but in the by-elections, BJP candidate Bindu Debnath won the seat by a margin of over 18000 votes—it’s an unusual instance in a direct fight between the BJP and CPI-M, Politburo member and former Chief Minister Manik Sarkar opined.
“In Boxanagar constituency, the BJP won, securing 89 percent of votes polled, and 71 percent in Dhanpur constituency—these are unprecedented in the election history of Tripura. After having lost Boxanagar seat to the CPI-M in the February elections, it is impossible for the BJP to secure 89 percent votes except through large-scale rigging,” Sarkar argued.
The results vindicate the apprehensions raised by CPI-M and justify the demand for countermanding them and holding fresh polls under strict supervision, and the Election Commission of India must review the results and the footage run on social media about how BJP cadres have looted the vote in both constituencies with the help of local administration and police.
“Unless ECI recognises the facts, it will put a question mark on its neutrality and independence. People still have faith in the ECI and courts even after Narendra Modi has spoiled all democratic institutions for the BJP’s narrow interests. If an ECI-like organisation doesn’t stand with the truth, where will it precede India’s democracy?’ rued CPM state secretary Jitendra Choudhury.
