Agartala: Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha being offered sweets by BJP supporters after the party's good performance in the Assembly elections, in Agartala, March 2, 2023. (PTI Photo) Tripura Assembly Election Result 2023 News Highlights: The BJP-IPFT alliance returns to power in Tripura winning 33 seats in the 60-member assembly, as the Election Commission declared the results of all the constituencies.
Royal scion Pradyot Kishore’s TIPRA Motha party, which was seen as the kingmaker in Tripura, bagged 13 seats, while the Left-Congress alliance secured 14, with Debbarma’s party eating into the Left’s tribal votes. The Trinamool Congress did not win a single of the 28 seats it contested.
The next big question is about Tripura’s leadership. Although before the elections the party publicly acknowledged that incumbent Chief Minister Manik Saha is its CM face, speculation is rife that the party may review it now that the elections are over. Sources in the party said the national leadership was contemplating appointing Pratima Bhoumik. Follow our live blogs on election results in neighbouring Meghalaya and Nagaland, and an overview of results from all three states.
Voters queue up outside a polling booth in Agartala on Thursday. (Photo: PTI)
Prakash Karat addresses a press conference in Hyderabad. (PTI)
BJP unveiled its manifesto for the upcoming Tripura polls on Thursday. (ANI)
Outgoing Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Friday called on Governor Satyadeo Narain Arya and tendered his resignation.
Suspense over the next CM prevailed as he did not immediately stake claim to form the next government.
The ruling BJP and its ally Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) won 32 seats and one constituency respectively to return to power in the northeastern state for the second consecutive term.
“I tendered my resignation to the governor. He asked me to continue till the new government is formed,” Saha told reporters after coming out of Raj Bhavan.
He said the government will take oath on March 8.
To a question, he said he did not stake claim to form the government.
BJP chief spokesperson Subrata Chakraborty said the chief minister's name will be decided at the legislature party meeting, the date of which has not yet been fixed. (PTI)
The BJP returned to power in Tripura on Thursday with a reduced tally of 32 seats and one of the leaders missing from its list was Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Dev Varma, who was one of the key ministers in the previous government and was viewed as having achieved significant success in the departments of finance, power, and rural development.
But his perceived success did not stop the key BJP leader from losing to his TIPRA Motha rival Subodh Deb Barma in Charilam constituency in Tripura West by 858 votes. This was a stunning reversal from five years ago when he won the ST-reserved seat by the biggest margin of the election, 26,580 votes with 89.33 per cent vote share. TIPRA is led by his nephew Pradyot Debbarma. Know more here
Immediately after the death of Bir Bikram Manikya in 1947, the royal family of Tripura had fled to Shillong: The Queen-regent, an heir-minor to the throne, and their ministers in tow. Before his death, Bir Bikram had tried and failed to counter the Left in the state. Now his grandson, Pradyot Debbarma, is back in the thick of politics in the state – fuelled by social media, and energised by young voters – euphorically spearheading the movement to “save his people”. This curious turn of events, rather a double return – a return of the king and a return to the kingdom – not only exposes the limits of identity politics but also offers historical insights into the rise of BJP and decline of the Left Front in Tripura. Read here
Hours after the Tripura Assembly election results were announced, the Left Front and the Congress, which had a pre-poll seat-sharing agreement to collectively take on the BJP, were still in shock.
The results show an upward trend for the Congress, which had drawn a blank in 2018, and managed to secure one seat in 2022 when Sudip Roy Barman, who had earlier quit the Congress to join the BJP, returned to the party and won a by-election. Read more here
The BJP on Thursday emphatically won the Tripura Assembly elections and looked poised to return to power in Meghalaya and Nagaland as a junior partner in ruling coalitions.
The party overcame a Left-Congress alliance and the TIPRA Motha, which had emerged as a force to reckon with in tribal seats, to bag 32 seats in Tripura, one more than the majority mark. It retained power in Nagaland along with senior alliance partner Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP). In Meghalaya, the National People’s Party (NPP) emerged as the single-largest party. The NPP and the BJP ruled the state together for five years but contested the elections separately. Both said they would tie up again. Read more here
The verdicts in Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya suggest that the BJP’s political narrative has gained more ground in the Northeast since it first made its presence felt with the Assam victory in 2016. The party has won a second consecutive term in Agartala while its pre-poll ally, the NDDP (Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party) is poised to retain office in Kohima. The BJP could not win Meghalaya on its own but is likely to partner the National People’s Party in forming the government in Shillong. In short, all three states are set to have NDA governments. This follows the trend in Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh, where BJP governments have been re-elected since 2019. Read more here
Sourav Roy Barman writes: BJP, dismissed as a non-entity in North-east less than a decade ago, has become the primary pole of the region's politics. Read here
Just two years after its birth, TIPRA Motha, the party led by Tripura royal scion Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma, has emerged as the second largest party after the ruling BJP in the Assembly elections
The tribal party that rode the elections on the slogan of ‘Greater Tipraland’, has secured victory in 13 seats – all reserved for tribals, and has come second in six other seats. Greater Tipraland, which was initially touted as a separate state, was later revised as a demand for an ‘autonomous state’ as per Article 244 (A) of the Constitution, for greater legislative, administrative and financial autonomy than the tribal ADC currently has. Read his interview here
Five years after it ended the uninterrupted, 25-year-long run of the Left Front in the state, the BJP is set to retain Tripura, winning a simple majority after a hard-fought battle with the Left-Congress combine and the TIPRA Motha, led by royal scion Pradyot Debbarma.
Here's what happened today:
?The BJP-IPFT alliance returned to power in Tripura winning 33 seats in the 60-member assembly. The Tipra Motha, formed by Pradyot Kishore Debbarma, bagged 13 seats, while the Left-Congress alliance secured 14, with Debbarma's party eating into the Left's tribal votes. The Trinamool Congress performed poorly winning none of the 28 seats it contested.
?Once a non-entity in Tripura, the BJP has cemented its dominance with this result. While its vote share has dipped from 43.59 per cent in 2018 to 39 per cent, the party is poised to attain a simple majority with 32 seats in the 60-seat Assembly. Earlier today, the BJP had agreed to accept the demands of TIPRA Motha except for 'Greater Tipraland' in order to strike an alliance. However, the BJP was able to cross single majority mark on its own.
?The Communist Party of India (Marxist) lost power in 2018 after ruling the northeastern state for 25 years by winning only 16 seats last time round. This time they contested in 47 seats and won 11, with a vote share of 24.62 per cent. Other Left parties – Forward Bloc, CPI and RSP - failed to open their account. Fielding candidates in 13 constituencies, the Congress won three, bagging a vote share of 8.56 per cent.
?Chief Minister Manik Saha won his seat in Town Bardowali constituency. Here's the full list of winners from Tripura.
?Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah thanked the people for voting for progress and stability, while the CPI(M) Politburo said the Left Front will work with renewed commitment and energy to defend the interests of the people.
? Although before the elections the party publicly acknowledged that incumbent Chief Minister Manik Saha is its CM face, speculation is rife that the party may review it now that the elections are over. Sources in the party said the national leadership was contemplating appointing Pratima Bhoumik, at present the Union Minister of State for Empowerment and Social Justice, for the top job in the state to “send the right message to the northeastern region as well as to the entire nation” ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
That's it for today! Follow our live blogs on election results in neighbouring Meghalaya and Nagaland, and an overview of results from all three states.
The Congress was very confident that the Left-Congress combine would trounce the BJP in Tripura. The initial assessment of the party was that the TIPRA Motha that won 13 seats cut into its votes in several seats.
“We couldn’t fully succeed in our attempt to consolidate the Opposition votes. Because at the end of the day, the BJP’s vote share has come down to 39 per cent from 43.59 per cent. But I think the loss was because the opposition votes got split between the Left-Congress alliance and TIPRA Motha. Definitely, it affected us,” All India Congress Committee’s (AICC) Tripura in-charge Ajoy Kumar told The Indian Express.
Congress could not win a single seat in Tripura last time. The party had hoped to win five to eight of the 13 seats it contested and expected the Left to do the heavy lifting. The CPI(M) had told the Congress leadership that the Left would win 25 to 29 seats. But the Left, which had 16 seats last time, won only 11, all to the CPI(M). Manoj CJ writes
As expected, Congress heavyweight Sudip Roy Barman won by a big margin — 8.162 votes — in the Agartala seat. State Congress president Birajit Sinha won in Kailashahar by 9,686 votes. In Banamalipur, Gopal Chandra Roy edged past BJP chief Rajib Bhattacharjee by a slender margin of 1,369 votes.
?While its vote share has dipped from 43.59 per cent in 2018 to 39 per cent, the BJP is poised to attain a simple majority with 32 seats in the 60-seat Assembly.
?While the Congress, which was reduced to zero in 2018, managed to win three seats, taking up its vote share from 1.8 per cent to 8.6 per cent, the CPI(M) saw its tally fall from 16 to 11, and vote share from 42.2 per cent to 24.6 per cent — another clear indication that while the Congress gained from Left votes, the reverse did not happen.
Meanwhile in Nagaland, political stalwart and its longest serving chief minister Neiphiu Rio is set to assume office as chief minister for a fifth consecutive term after a convincing win for his party and its ally, the BJP. Together, the two parties have secured 33 seats in the 60-member Nagaland assembly.With results to 49 out of 60 seats declared so far, the NDPP-BJP alliance have already crossed the halfway mark and are poised to form the government in Nagaland. The NDPP has won 23 seats so far and the BJP has won 12, giving them a joint tally of 35 seats. Further, they together are leading in another two seats. Follow Nagaland election results Live Updates here
Immediately after the death of Bir Bikram Manikya in 1947, the royal family of Tripura had fled to Shillong: The Queen-regent, an heir-minor to the throne, and their ministers in tow. Before his death, Bir Bikram had tried and failed to counter the Left in the state. Now his grandson, Pradyot Debbarma, is back in the thick of politics in the state – fuelled by social media, and energised by young voters – euphorically spearheading the movement to “save his people”. This curious turn of events, rather a double return – a return of the king and a return to the kingdom – not only exposes the limits of identity politics but also offers historical insights into the rise of BJP and decline of the Left Front in Tripura. R K Debbarma writes
Five years after it ended the uninterrupted, 25-year-long run of the Left Front in the state, the BJP is set to retain Tripura, winning a simple majority after a hard-fought battle with the Left-Congress combine and the TIPRA Motha, led by royal scion Pradyot Debbarma.
No Assembly election in Tripura — which sends only two MPs to the Lok Sabha — had attracted as much national attention as it did this time, with the contest turning triangular once erstwhile arch-enemies the Left and the Congress joined hands, replicating an experiment that had already failed earlier in West Bengal, and the TIPRA Motha grew exponentially in the state’s tribal areas. Sourav Roy Barman analyses
Union minister and BJP candidate Pratima Bhoumik defeated her rival Kaushik Chanda of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) by 3,500 votes from the Dhanpur seat in Tripura. The Dhanpur Assembly constituency used to be CPI(M) stalwart and four-time CM Manik Sarkar’s constituency, who stepped aside to make way for Chanda.
With the BJP on course to cross the halfway mark by winning 32 seats in Tripura, a state where it marked a significant ideological victory against the Left in 2018, the next big question is about its leadership. Although before the elections the party publicly acknowledged that incumbent Chief Minister Manik Saha is its CM face, speculation is rife that the party may review it now that the elections are over.
Sources in the party said the national leadership was contemplating appointing Pratima Bhoumik, at present the Union Minister of State for Empowerment and Social Justice, for the top job in the state to “send the right message to the northeastern region as well as to the entire nation” ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. If the party appoints Bhoumik, she will become the first woman chief minister in the history of the Northeast. Liz Mathew writes
The BJP+ alliance including IPFT won 33 seats, while the Congress-Left alliance were reduced to a total of 14 seats, according to Election Commission data.
BJP is set to return in Tripura for the second consecutive term, according to the latest polling numbers. As of now, the ruling party has won over 30 seats and leading in 1, according to the Election Commission. While the CPI(M) registered a victory in 13 seats, the Congress won 3. Check the full list of winner here
In 2018, the BJP+ alliance secured 44 seats, while the Congress-Left alliance won 16 seats.
Soon after the BJP-IPFT alliance crossed the halfway mark winning 31 seats, Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked voters in Tripura for electing the party and called it a "vote for progress and stability".
After the BJP is set to retain power in Tripura, securing 31 seats along with its ally IPT, Union Home Minister Amit Shah termed it as a "victory of pro-development politics". In a tweet, Shah thanked the people of Tripura for placing trust in the BJP.
CPI(M) candidate Pabitra Kar lost the Khayerpur seat against BJP's Ratan Chakraborthy by a margin of 4,110 votes.
The BJP-IPFT alliance is likely to return to power for the second time in Tripura after they won 31 seats, according to data from the Election Commission. The BJP has won 30 seats, while the IPFT won 1 seat.
The TIPRA Motha, seen to be the kingmaker this election, has won 12 seats and is leading in one, according to data released by the Election Commission. The BJP, earlier today, said it was ready to accept all demands put forth by TIPRA Motha, except for 'Greater Tipraland'.
The party is demanding a separate state of ‘Greater Tipraland’ for the indigenous communities of the north-eastern state. They want the Centre to carve out the separate state under Article 2 and 3 of the Constitution. Among the 19 notified Scheduled Tribes in Tripura, Tripuris (aka Tipra and Tiprasas) are the largest. According to the 2011 census, there are at least 5.92 lakh Tripuris in the state, followed by Reangs (1.88 lakh) and Jamatias (83,000). Why? We explain here.
As the BJP crossed the halfway-mark in Tripura, celebrations began at the party's office in Agartala. CM Manik Saha, along with Sambit Patra and other leaders were seen celebrating. (Source: Twitter/@SambitPatra)
The Tipraha Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance (TIPRA Motha), which emerged as a force to reckon with in the run-up to the Assembly elections in Tripura, is leading in 11 seats, chipping away at the ruling coalition of BJP-IPFT, which held these seats over the last five years.
However, considering how well-attended its rallies were, the electoral yield of the party, led by royal scion Pradyot Debbarma, appears underwhelming, especially after it appeared to have struck a chord with voters from the indigenous communities with its core demand for a separate state of “Greater Tipraland”. Sourav Roy Barman writes
At 4 pm, the BJP has comfortably crossed the halfway mark in Tripura, having won in 25 seats, and leading in 7, out of the 60-member Assembly. The Congress, meanwhile, has managed to win 2 seats, and is leading in one, whereas its ally the Left (CPI-M), has secured 7 seats and is leading in 4. (Data according to the Election Commission)
After the BJP crossed the halfway mark in Tripura, CM Manik Saha congratulated voters for choosing the party, and said that it would work for the state's development, and form ‘Ek Tripura, Srestha Tripura’.
Saha said, "PM Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Party president JP Nadda and other senior leaders have campaigned here on central welfare schemes, Act East policy and took our development initiatives to people, alongwith our panna pramukhs, other organizational leaders. It all went in favour of us. My only issue ahead is the development and we shall keep doing that. The election was peaceful this time on February 16. My appeal to all party workers, on winning and opposition sides, is to maintain peace and make sure no violence occurs anywhere” --- Debraj Deb writes
The Trinamool Congress, which has tried to expand its footprint in Tripura, has failed to open its account so far.
News18: BJP in 34, Left Congress in 14, TMP in 12, TMC in 0, Others in 0
NDTV: BJP ahead in 33, Left Congress in 14, TMP in 13, Others in 0
India Today: BJP ahead in 33, Left Congress in 14, TMP in 13, Others in 0
Times Now: BJP ahead in 26, Left Congress in 12, TMP ahead in 11, Others in 0
Congress's Sudip Roy Barman has won his seat in Agartala by 8,162 votes, news agency PTI reported. He was pitted against the BJP's Papia Dutta.
Tripura CM Manik Saha has defeated Congress's veteran leader Ashish Kumar, by a margin of 1,257 seats from the Town Bardowali constituency. Saha was seen collecting his 'Certificate of Election' soon after his victory.
With the BJP winning 20 seats and leading in over 13 seats, celebrations in the BJP's office in Agartala are underway. Tripura CM Manik Saha, along with former CM Biplab Kumar Deb are seen taking party in the celebrations.
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha, who retained his seat from Town Bordawali, arrived at the BJP's party office in Agartala, after the party crossed the hallway mark in the 60-member Assembly, winning over 15 seats, and leading in 18.
The BJP has crossed the halfway mark in the 60-member Tripura assembly, winning 12 seats and leading in 21, according to data from the Election Commission.
The opposition CPI(M) won one seat, and was ahead in 10, while its partner Congress was leading in two seats and won one. The Tipra Motha was leading in six constituencies and has already won six seats, while BJP's ally IPFT won one seat.
A smiling Manik Saha asserted that BJP will form the government in Tripura with a majority.
"We had said earlier also that BJP will again come to power with a full majority and the results so far are showing that we are forming the government. I thank PM Modi, Amit Shah, JP Nadda, Rajnath Singh, and all party workers," CM Saha told the news agency ANI.
Celebrations began in Tripura as BJP candidates surged ahead of the opposition Left-Congress and Tipra Motha, leading in more than half the seats of the 60-member assembly.
Slogans such as 'Narendra Modi Zindabad' and 'Jai Shri Ram' rented the air at the BJP election office in the Colonel Chowmuhani area in Agartala with party workers exchanging sweets, bursting firecrackers and playing an early Holi.
Women workers of the party danced to the tune of drums as the BJP marched towards victory, securing another term in office. (PTI)
Hekani Jakhalu — the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party’s candidate from Dimapur III — has become the first woman to be elected to the Nagaland Legislative Assembly.
Though the state has had 13 state Assemblies so far, not one woman has been elected to this position so far. On Thursday afternoon as counting is underway in the state, Jakhalu was the sixth person to be officially declared winner in Nagaland by the Election Commission of India.
Of 31,874 votes counted in the constituency, she received 45.16% of the votes, just ahead of the LJP (RV)’s Azheto Zhimomi who received 40.34% votes. (Sukrita Baruah reports)
Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha has emerged victorious with a margin of 1,180 votes at Town Bardowali constituency, against Congress candidate Ashish Kumar Saha after the end of the 6th and final round of counting.
Postal ballots are still being counted, but overall, CM Saha has managed to retain the seat where he won a by-election last year. Saha had also won his first-ever Assembly victory from the constituency after he replaced his predecessor Biplab Kumar Deb in a swift reshuffle, the reasons for which haven't been explained yet.
The rise of campaign groups and their entry into electoral politics is a trend visible in many small states. States such as Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura, Mizoram, or for that matter Goa, have relatively small constituencies where the size of the electorate is between 25,000 and 40,000 voters.
This allows charismatic and/or resource-rich candidates to fancy their chances. Contests become more personality-centric, and resourceful individuals with capital, clan and caste support are sought after by parties. The new entrants in politics hope to disrupt these arrangements and usher in change. KAM and VPP in Meghalaya and RPP in Nagaland, for instance, have candidates with a record of civil society activism — activists involved in campaigns against corruption and big dams, for unionisation of security guards and street vendors, for instance. (Read more)
Education Minister Ratan Lal Nath of BJP has won the Mohanpur seat by 7,385 votes while IPFT's Sukla Charan Noatia has won the Jolaibari seat by 375.
CPI(M) state secretary Jitendra Chaudhury has won the Sabroom seat by 343 votes, officials told the news agency PTI.
The BJP on Thursday said it was ready to accept all demands of Tipra Motha, except for Greater Tipraland, if the new party led by former royal Pradyot Debbarma extends its support.
Speaking to PTI, state BJP chief spokesperson Subrata Chakraborty said his party was marching to form the next government in the state.
"We are forming the next government in the state as we have been saying since the beginning. Two central leaders — Phanindranath Sarma and Sambit Patra — are here to oversee the situation, and hopefully, more central leaders will be arriving today," he said.
On the possibility of taking the support of the Debbarma-led party, he said, "Except Greater Tipraland, the BJP is ready to accept all their demands." (PTI)
Following the BJP's comment that it is ready to accept all demands of Tipra Motha, except for Greater Tipraland, you might be wondering what exactly the ‘Greater Tipraland’ demand is. Here's a quick primer.
Several tribal outfits in Tripura have joined hands to push their demand for a separate state for indigenous communities in the region, arguing that their “survival and existence” was at stake. Among the political parties that have come together for the cause are TIPRA Motha (Tipraha Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance) and IPFT (Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura), which had so far been rivals in the electoral fray.
The parties are demanding a separate state of ‘Greater Tipraland’ for the indigenous communities of the northeastern state. They want the Centre to carve out a separate state under Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution. (Read more)
Ready to accept all demands of Tipra Motha, except for Greater Tipraland, says Tripura BJP chief spokesperson Subrata Chakraborty to PTI
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is on course to retain power in Tripura as the party crossed the halfway mark in the latest trends amid the ongoing counting of votes today.
According to Election Commission data at 12.30 pm, the BJP is leading in 32 seats while the CPIM-Congress alliance is leading in 16 seats (12 and 4 seats respectively). The Tipra Motha Party is leading in 10 seats.
Chief Minister Manik Saha, who is contesting from the Town Bardowali constituency, was leading Congress' Asish Kumar Saha by over 1,300 votes.
TIPRA Motha, which is contesting for the first time in Assembly elections in Tripura this year, is leading in 12 seats as of now.
The royal scion Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma-led party has got its first victory announced from Simna ST reserved seat in West Tripura where Brishaketu Debbarma, was announced victorious with a margin of 16,485 votes above CPIM candidate Kumodh Debbarna, who secured 5,679 votes. Brishaketu was an IPFT MLA in 2018 but shifted to Motha in 2021 and lost his Assembly membership.
Union Minister of State for Social Empowerment Justice Pratima Bhoumik is leading at Dhanpur assembly constituency in Sepahijala district with a margin of 1,302 votes above CPIM candidate Kaushik Chanda who is debuting from the seat after former CM and Opposition leader Manik Sarkar stepped down from contesting in assembly polls this year. (Debraj Deb reports)
If the poll trends are anything to go by, the Left-Congress alliance in Tripura has performed along expected lines and is currently leading in 14 seats. Having failed to win any seats last time, the Congress is leading in five seats as per the latest figures from the Election Commission (EC). The exit polls predicted the Left-Congress alliance to end up with about 16 constituencies.
The CPI(M)-led Left Front contested 47 seats, with the Congress fighting the remaining 13 as part of the first-ever seat-sharing partnership between the two parties in Tripura. In the past, the CPI(M) and the Congress had been arch rivals with a bitter history of violence. The two parties however came together this time on the plank of “restoration of democracy and rule of law” in the state, alleging that the same was subverted on the BJP’s watch. (Debraj Deb reports)
In a major shift from its 2018 campaign that targeted the Left Front that then ruled Tripura, the ruling BJP is this time focusing on good governance as its prime poll agenda.
The shift is seen as an effort to galvanise its support base in favour of a narrative of development vis-à-vis the opposition Left-Congress campaign that is concentrated on attacking the BJP over alleged political violence and assaults on democratic institutions under its watch.
While the Opposition, especially the Congress-CPI(M) block and the TIPRA Motha, blame the BJP for lack of governance, breakdown in law and order, crisis of jobs and livelihood under its watch, the BJP is now appealing voters to give them a second chance for continued good governance or “sushashan”. (Read more)
News18: BJP in 32, Left Congress in 16, TMP in 10, TMC in 1, Others in 1
NDTV: BJP ahead in 33, Left Congress in 16, TMP in 10, Others in 1
India Today: BJP ahead in 33, Left Congress in 16, TMP in 10, Others in 1
Times Now: BJP ahead in 33, Left Congress in 16, TMP ahead in 10, Others in 1
? Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Devvarma has fought back from his earlier setback, and is now leading over Congress's Ashok Deb Barma by more than 1,800 votes.
? It's a tight fight between CM Manik Saha and veteran Congress candidate Ashish Kumar Saha in Town Bardowali. The CM is leading by over 1,300 votes now.
? Labour Minister Bhagaban Das is trailing at Pabiacherra behind Congress candidate Satyaban Das by over less than 350 votes, improving on the earlier figures.
? It's a close battle between CPI(M) state secretary Jitendra Chaudhary, who is touted to be the CM candidate of the Left-Congress partnership, and BJP candidate Shankar Roy in Sabroom assembly constituency, with Chaudhary leading by around 100 votes.
? Tripura Congress president Birajit Sinha is leading over BJP candidate Moboshwor Ali, who jumped the boat to BJP, by a whooping 7,400 votes in Kailashahar constituency.
? Veteran BJP leader and candidate at Ramnagar constituency Surajit Dutta, who arrived at Umakanta Academy counting centre in a wheelchair, is leading over Independent candidate Purushuttam Roy Barman by over 2,000 votes.
BJP workers have gathered outside the party office during the counting of votes for the Tripura Assembly elections in Agartala.
The party's state Twitter handle shared a couple of photos from the scene with the caption "BJP all around."
The CPI-M-led Left Front had been ruling the roost in Tripura for nearly four decades when the BJP ousted them in 2018.
The BJP, which had never won a single seat in Tripura before 2018, stormed to power in the last election in alliance with IPFT. It contested 55 seats and its ally, IPFT, on six seats. But both allies had fielded candidates in the Ampinagar constituency in the Gomati district.
The Left contested 47 and Congress on 13 seats, respectively. Of the total 47 seats, the CPM contested 43 seats while the Forward Bloc, Communist Party of India (CPI) and Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) contested one seat each, as per an ANI report. BJP won 36 seats in the assembly and got 43.59 per cent of the votes in the 2018 election. The CPI (M) won 16 seats with a 42.22 per cent vote share. The IPFT won eight seats and Congress could not open its account. Read our 2018 report on how Tripura was won.
The Town Bardowali constituency is seeing a close contest between BJP candidate and Tripura CM Manik Saha and Congress's Ashish Kumar Saha. Currently, the CM is leading by over 800 votes.
While Manik Saha won his first-ever Assembly election in last year's bypoll, Ashish Saha is a previous MLA from the seat and thus, an old hand. The Town Bardowali constituency, located right outside Agartala, is spread across the capital city's posh residential Ramnagar area and its outskirts.
BJP has now improved its lead to 32 of 60 seats in Tripura, as per trend report in NDTV.
The incumbents are keeping election watchers on their toes, having first clocked a lead in 39 seats, before it fell to 32 and then 28 seats. The Left Front-Congress tie-up saw its lead fall to 15 seats from an earlier high of 19. TIPRA party continues to hold a lead in 12 seats and could emerge as a kingmaker at the end of the polls.
“Shh”, he whispers into the microphone and silence descends on the gathering of a few thousands. They have assembled at a ground in Ampinagar, an Assembly constituency reserved for Scheduled Tribes in Tripura’s Gomati district, to hear their “bubagra” (king) Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma, 44, chief of the TIPRA Motha party.
The shush, a no-fail strategy for Debbarma at almost each of his rallies, is a window into the 44-year-old’s hold over his constituency — the 19 tribal communities who collectively form over 30 per cent of Tripura’s population and have a say in 20 reserved seats, of the total 60, in the state Assembly.
As the counting of votes continues, the Motha, which was formed merely two years ago, has emerged as a crucial factor alongside national parties such as the BJP, Congress and CPI(M). Riding on a homegrown demand for tribal autonomy and banking on Pradyot’s own personal appeal as the descendant of the state’s erstwhile Manikya dynasty, the party may as well end up playing the kingmaker in the event of a close election. (Read more)
The poll trends started with a huge majority for the BJP, which still holding on to the lead, but the Opposition parties, especially TIPRA Motha, have picked up the pace.
Latest trends on the ground suggest BJP is leading in 20+ seats, TIPRA Motha in 13 seats while the CPI(M) and Congress parties are leading in 10 and 5 seats respectively. Other candidates are leading in 2 seats.
Assembly Speaker Ratan Chakraborty is leading over CPIM candidate and former Assembly deputy speaker Pabitra Kar by over 800 votes at the end of the second round of counting. (Debraj Deb reports)
? Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Devvarma is trailing at Charilam constituency behind TIPRA Motha candidate Subodh Debbarma by more than 1,000 votes.
? CM Dr Manik Saha is leading above Congress candidate Ashish Kumar Saha by over 300 votes at the end of the third round of counting.
? Labour Minister Bhagaban Das is trailing at Pabiacherra behind Congress candidate Satyaban Das by over 1,400 votes by end of the second round.
? CPI(M) state secretary Jitendra Chaudhary, who is touted to be the CM candidate of the Left-Congress partnership, is leading at Sabroom assembly constituency over BJP candidate Shankar Roy by over 600 votes
? Tripura Congress president Birajit Sinha is leading over BJP candidate Moboshwor Ali who jumped the boat to BJP, by over 3,300 votes by end of the first round of counting.
? Veteran BJP leader and candidate at Ramnagar constituency Surajit Dutta arrived at Umakanta Academy counting centre in a wheelchair. He expressed confidence in winning and said he would wait till the end of counting to comment further. Dutta is faced by human rights activist cum High Court lawyer, who is supported by the Left-Congress partnership. (Express's Debraj Deb reports)