People's Democracy

TRIPURA LF CLEAN SWEEPS ADC POLLS

A Verdict for Lasting

Peace and Development

                                                                                       Rahul Sinha

THE color of the Red flag shines brighter in the hilly terrains of Tripura.

The results of the 6th General Elections to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) were declared on May 7 wherein the Left Front, as per expectations, has once again emerged victorious in all the 27 seats to which elections were held repeating the result of the 2005 ADC polls. The opposition parties, including Congress, INPT, BJP and other smaller regional parties have once again failed to open their account. The Left Front has not only won all the 27 seats but at the same time has bagged 63.81 per cent of the total valid votes cast. This clean sweep by the Left Front, led by the CPI(M), has ensured an uninhibited successive second term for it in the 28 member Autonomous District Council formed under the  Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.

Elections were held for 27 seats on May 3, 2010. Polling in one seat was countermanded because of demise of a BJP candidate in the Maharani Chelagang seat. The polling process was entirely peaceful. True to their traditions, tribal and non-tribal people residing in the ADC areas came out in huge numbers to exercise their democratic right. The final figures announced by the state election commission showed a turn out of 83.69 per cent.

Counting of votes started on May 7 at 8 in the morning at 15 counting centres spread all over the state. The government had made elaborate security arrangements in all the counting centres. From the early morning itself enthusiastic workers and supporters of the Left Front gathered in large numbers before the counting centres.

The winning spree of the Left Front started with the declaration of the victory of Judhisthir Reang, CPI(M) candidate from the Ganganagar- Gandachharra  constituency. The winning spree continued in all the 27 seats.  In the run up to the elections the Left Front had urged the voters to ensure victory of its candidates with greater margin than that of 2005 for a lasting atmosphere of peace and harmony and speedy development. The results show clearly that the electorate have overwhelmingly responded to this call. The Left Front candidates have won with higher margins in 10 seats compared to 2005. In 22 seats, votes in favour of LF have increased substantially.

Of the 27 seats won by the Left Front, CPI(M) alone has won in 25 seats. CPI and Forward Bloc won a seat each. Among the winning candidates of Left Front, Gurupada Debbarma of CPI(M) won the Halahali -Asharambari constituency with the highest margin of votes. He defeated Rikesh Debbarma of Congress with a margin of 11,969 votes. The lowest margin of winning was recorded in Machhmara seat. Here Forward Bloc candidate Paresh Chandra Sarkar defeated his nearest Congress opponent by a margin of 350 votes.

The outgoing chief executive member, Ranjit Debbarma, was re-elected  from Ramchandraghat seat of Khowai subdivision, a traditional fortress of the CPI(M) by a huge margin of 11,735 votes. He secured almost 79 per cent   of votes cast in that seat. Likewise the current executive member in charge of education, Radhacharan Debbarma, won from Jirania constituency defeating his nearest INPT rival by a margin of 7245 votes.

Along with this sweeping victory for the Left Front, this election also witnessed a complete rejection of all the anti-Left political forces by the politically conscious electorate of the TTAADC area. Congress, which has always opposed the formation of ADC, consecutively failed to open its account in the ADC. Same was the fate of INPT, the political outfit of the insurgents. IPFT, the splinter group of INPT, which had raised the divisive slogan of a separate ADC state bifurcating Tripura, lost deposits in all the seats it contested.  Same was the fate of BJP, TMC, NSPT and other parties. The Congress bettered its show by securing second position in 18 seats. But that did not help them much as 10 Congress candidates, including the former CEM of 2000-2005 era, Debabrata Koloi, and former EM, Sridam Debbarma, lost their deposits. INPT candidates lost their deposits in 18 seats.

As soon as the results of the resounding victory of the Left Front candidates started pouring in, there were scenes of jubilation across the state. The Red flag was visible every where as victory processions were taken out all over the state.

CPI(M) state secretariat member Gautam Das, on behalf of the Left Front, conveyed warm congratulations to the electorate and termed the mandate a bold and positive one. The results have shown that the people have voted positively for a lasting atmosphere of peace and harmony and for speedy development, he opined. This huge victory has given the Left Front a larger responsibility to work for a more speedy and comprehensive development of the ADC areas in particular and the state as a whole, he maintained. The new council will be formed by the end of this month after the present council completes its tenure.