The Left parties in Tripura have partnered up with the Congress to restore democracy and save the Constitution, said Opposition Leader Manik Sarkar on Friday at the Radha Kishore Institution (RKI) Ground in Kailasahar, Unakoti district, in the first major poll rally of both parties.
Two longtime rivals in Tripura's political landscape have partnered for the first time to oust the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the forthcoming assembly elections.
Manik Sarkar, a veteran of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI(M), who served as chief minister for two decades, accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party of destroying the state's secular and democratic environment.
"We only had shared seats. This was vital to save Tripura. None of this bothered secularism while the Left was in power. We'll each do our politics. "This is only a seat-sharing adjustment, not an alliance or a joint forum," Sarkar added, urging people to vote for the Left and Congress candidates.
The Left-Congress alliance has announced candidates for all 60 seats. Tripura will hold elections for 60 seats on February 16 (Thursday). The voting will take place on February 27 in Meghalaya and Nagaland. On March 2, all three states' votes will be counted at the same time (Thursday).