Agartala, March 19: The INDI Alliance initiated its door-to-door campaign on Tuesday in Agartala’s bordering Ramnagar area, where both Parliamentary elections and an assembly by-poll are scheduled for April 19.
Senior CPIM leader Ratan Das, a former MLA from the Ramnagar constituency, is contesting the by-election as a joint candidate for the Left Front and Congress with a CPIM ticket.
Along with his, Das also campaigned for the INDI Alliance Lok Sabha candidate Asish Kumar Saha, who is contesting from the West Tripura Lok Sabha constituency with a Congress symbol.
Although the assembly election in Tripura last year saw a three-cornered fight between the NDA (consisting of BJP and IPFT), INDI Alliance, and tribal-based TIPRA Motha, the recent alliance of TIPRA Motha with the ruling NDA has narrowed the contest to two sides.
While the NDA is ahead in its Parliamentary campaign, it is yet to declare its candidate for the assembly by-election.
Taking advantage of this situation, the CPIM candidate has already begun ground-level campaigning to reestablish personal connections with voters and encourage them to vote for the INDI Alliance in both the Lok Sabha and the by-election.
Asked about the main campaign issues and the response from voters, Das stated that the response is satisfactory, as the public harbors significant grievances against the NDA government at both the state and central levels.
He asserted that the current government has failed for various reasons and is resorting to violence and undermining democracy, which has disillusioned the public.
He claimed that the results of the 2023 assembly elections reflect a decrease in the BJP’s vote percentage and number of seats.
Das appealed to voters to cast their ballots without fear to revive democracy and defeat the BJP, which he alleges, under the leadership of Narendra Modi, has delivered the worst government in India since independence.
He emphasized that the constitution and democracy are at risk under the current regime, and the narrative of development is merely propaganda driven by communal and corporate interests.
Das accused the government of creating an atmosphere of fear and highlighted issues such as high inflation and unemployment.
He acknowledged that winning the by-election alone will not change the government in the state but it certainly will strengthen the opposition bench in the assembly, enabling pressure to address the concerns of the common people.
The senior CPIM leader urged voters to evaluate their experiences and the development during the Left tenure versus the present BJP-led government before casting their votes.
The by-election in Ramnagar is taking place due to the death of BJP MLA Surajit Datta who earlier was a Minister in Congress-TUJS government.
