People's Democracy

TRIPURA           

Left Front Declares Candidates List For Panchayat Polls

Haripada Das

ADDRESSING the press in the CPI(M) state committee office on June 18, the Left Front  Committee of Tripura publicised its list of 82 candidates for the four zilla parishads and 299 candidates for 23 panchayat samities in the state. At the same time, it also declared the names of candidates for the byelections to the four seats that had fallen vacant in Agartala municipality and in Kailashahar and Belonia nagar panchayats.

It is to be noted that the state�s Election Commission recently declared elections to the three-tier panchayati raj institutions --- comprising 511 gram panchayats, 23 panchayat samities, 4 zilla parishads. At the same time, it also announced to hold the byelections to one seat in Agartala municipality, three seats in the two nagar panchayats and 47 village committee seats under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (ADC). All these elections will take place simultaneously on July 20.

The leaders addressing the press included former CPI(M) state secretary Baidyanath Majumder, CPI(M) state secretariat  members Gautam Das and Narayan Kar, CPI state secretary Prasanta Kapali and Forward Bloc state secretary Shyamal Roy.

Gautam Das informed the press that, unlike earlier panchayat elections in 2004 when all-out unity could not be reached, this time the Left Front  will fight the elections unitedly in all tiers. Regarding the seat sharing among the Front constituents, Das said that out of 299 panchayat samiti (PS) seats, the CPI(M) will contest 287, CPI seven, RSP four and FB one. In zilla parishads (ZP), the CPI(M) will contest all the 82 seats. About 70 percent of candidates in these elections are new faces, inducted mainly because of rotation in reservation of the seats in each tier. On the other hand, some elected PS members have been nominated for the ZP polls and, in places, some ZP members were given tickets for the PS polls. Besides, a handful of elected members were not given tickets this time due to unsatisfactory performance. A good number of SC, ST and women candidates have been accommodated in the unreserved seats.

The Front leaders expressed hope that, considering the performance of the outgoing bodies, the people of Tripura would repose faith again in the Left Front. The Left Front government in Tripura has a unique record of development involving the rural masses. The panchayats have been bestowed with more powers to look after some key sectors in the rural areas, like primary education, irrigation, fisheries, animal husbandry etc. In implementation of the NREGA, Tripura at present stands fifth in the country and first in the North East, while it was second in the country for the preceding two consecutive years. These achievements will no doubt be reflected in the people�s mandate, Gautam Das said.      

He also provided to the press a statement of party-wise performance in the last panchayati raj elections in 2004 (see the table alongside).

SOLIDARITY WITH

BENGAL PEOPLE

The people of Tripura have lodged strong protest against the violence unleashed by the Trinamiul Congress in league with the Maoists against the CPI(M)-Left Front workers and supporters in the state. They have expressed solidarity with the people of West Bengal in their heroic battle against the inhuman killings, kidnappings, arson, and massive drive-out of innocent villagers from their hearth and home with the threat of dire consequences.

At the call of the CPI(M)�s Tripura state committee, June 20 witnessed numerous protest rallies, jathas and demonstrations, small and big hall meetings etc, in every market place, block headquarters and subdivisional towns throughout the state. The day was observed as the �West Bengal Solidarity Day.�

In Agartala, there was a roaring protest rally at Shakuntala Road in the heart of the town, presided over by Samar Adhya, secretary of the Sadar divisional committee. Addressing the rally, state secretariat member Gautam Das said the Trinamul Congress and Maoists are resorting to anarchism throughout West Bengal. They have let loose a reign of barbarism with a view to dislodging the democratically elected Left Front government in the state. There is every reason to believe that these forces have the blessings of the international anti-communist mercenaries. As West Bengal is a stronghold of the communists, anti-communist forces inside the country and outside have started an all-out multi-pronged attack to get the Left Front government dislodged because it heralds an alternative to the globalisation policies the central government is pursuing. Referring to the CIA�s heinous plots in the past, doling out huge funds to get the communists dislodged first in Kerala and then in West Bengal, Das said it is sure that such a conspiracy is still afoot.  

Referring to the experience in Tripura, Das said here too an anti-Left Front conspiracy was working since 1980. There were numerous barbarous extremist attacks throughout the 1980s, and these intensified during the Congress-TUJS regime in 1988-93. Since 1978, more than 1700 comrades courted martyrdom while fighting the extremists-Congress-TUJS combine. But the democratic-minded conscious people of Tripura did not allow this jungle rule to continue for long. Das was confident that the patriotic people of West Bengal would overcome the menace very shortly and foil all types of machinations.

Prasanta Kapali (CPI) and Shyamal Roy (FB) also addressed the rally.  

* As there was no candidate after the scrutiny, election in one GP seats was not held.