Agartala, Nov 15: The Congress has stepped up its campaign for the November 27 urban local body elections in Tripura, with senior party leaders actively reaching out to voters across Agartala and highlighting issues ranging from civic mismanagement and unemployment to alleged political intimidation and communal polarisation.
Senior Congress MLA and former Minister Sudip Roy Barman was among the prominent leaders campaigning door-to-door for party candidates in the capital on Sunday, seeking to mobilise public support against the BJP-led government and its administration of the Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC).
Roy Barman accused the BJP of exploiting communal divisions for political gains and alleged that the ruling party resorted to violence and intimidation whenever it faced a lack of public support.
“Whenever they fail to get public support, they resort to clashes and violence. This is the BJP’s DNA,” he alleged.
Emphasising the Congress’s position on communal harmony, he said people should live together irrespective of religious differences and accused the BJP of pursuing divisive politics instead of addressing pressing public concerns.
“The country must move forward through love, mutual respect and unity. There should be no Hindu-Muslim division. People must live together peacefully,” he said.
Targeting the BJP over its governance record in Agartala, Roy Barman alleged that residents continued to face persistent problems relating to drainage, drinking water supply, mosquito infestation and waterlogging despite years of BJP control of the municipal corporation.
He said even a spell of rainfall triggered waterlogging in several areas and accused the previous municipal administration of failing to take effective measures to address the city’s basic infrastructure problems.
Unemployment, alleged drug mafia activities and law-and-order concerns also figured prominently in his campaign, with the Congress leader accusing the government of failing to respond to issues affecting ordinary people.
Roy Barman further criticised the BJP over its alleged proximity to corporate interests, referring to industrialists Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani, and questioned the historical contribution of the BJP’s ideological predecessors to India’s freedom struggle.
Expressing confidence in the Congress’s electoral prospects, he said the collective strength of voters could challenge any political establishment and claimed that the party would secure substantial public support.
The November 27 elections to 21 urban local bodies, covering 345 wards, are being held against the backdrop of the Assembly elections due in early 2028. The BJP has already secured 77 wards uncontested, while polling will be held in the remaining 268 wards, with counting scheduled for December 2.
The Congress and the CPI(M)-led Left Front are contesting separately, making the civic elections an important test of their respective organisational strength and the BJP’s urban support base ahead of the next Assembly elections.
