As many as 52 senior leaders of the BJP have been pressed into campaign action in Tripura, with less than a week to go before the state votes on February 18. The leaders include central officeholders of the party, ministers and MPs.
Party president Amit Shah has made Tripura his home since the last four days. He has addressed 16 rallies including a big road show in Agartala, which was attended by thousands of people, choking the narrow lanes of the historic town. On Monday, Shah is scheduled to participate in four rallies.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also scheduled to make another visit to the state next week.
According to BJP sources, Union ministers like Arun Jaitley, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Piyush Goel, Smriti Irani and Babul Supriyo have already attended events in Tripura. Major party leaders of the West Bengal unit are also in Tripura and scattered all over the state.
The second batch of leaders who are hitting the battleground from Monday includes UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Hema Malini and Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh, as an area in Tripura has a good population of Manipuris.
“We are leaving no stone unturned. More and more people are joining our party today. Those who looked at us as our opponents even a month ago have joined us. It will be a historic win for us,” said Sunil Deodhar, BJP’s central leader who is in charge of Tripura.
The CPI(M) has also accepted the fact that it’s turning out to be a tough battle by recognising BJP as the main force in this election. The BJP, which won only 1.5 per cent of the vote in 2013, is now gaining ground and looking to get more than 50 per cent of the vote.
An internal report of the CPI(M) has claimed that no other party, apart from the Left and BJP, could win a single seat.
Tripura’s Chief Minister, Manik Sarkar, at a rally, accepted that the BJP has polarised voters in the state.
“BJP has religiously polarised this election. Never allow them into your soil. Let this election be their graveyard for the future,” said Sarkar, linking the Tripura election with the political situation in India before the 2019 general election.
The BJP alleged that around 12 of its party workers have been murdered in the last one year. Three days back, one Madhu Roy was found hanging in a forest. Roy was a block president of the BJP.
“This is the way CPI(M) would like to remain in power. But they would not be able to retain this turf,” said Deodhar.
