Tripura Pragatishil Gramin Congress, one of the parties contested in both parliamentary constituencies, staged noisy protests in Agartala on Wednesday seeking action against chief electoral officer for allegedly favouring ruling CPI(M). Meanwhile BJP will also hold protests over the demand of almost all opposition parties.
“Our leaders and workers will hold protests against rigging and biased role of the election officials in the Lok Sabha polls”, state BJP President Sudhindra Dasgupta who was a candidate in West Tripura seat told newsmen. He complained that election officials reduced the election to a farce to benefit CPI(M).
Earlier Congress, BJP, Trinamool Congress, Pragatishil Gramin Congress and Aam Admi Party rejected the poll figures circulated by the state election department claiming they have photographs, video footage and documents to establish how the elections were rigged. They declared respective decision to reject the Lok Sabha poll outcome on May 16 – the day of counting.
CPI(M) however has rubbished the claims of the opposition parties and claimed the rivals were crying foul as they are going to face defeat by huge margins. “Seven days after the election these parties are making bogus allegation as a face saving tactic from an imminent defeat”, a party statement said adding the opposition had earlier termed elections peaceful.
The opposition rejected average 84.84 peercentage polling in West and East Lok Sabha constituencies and claimed complete misconduct had taken place in all 3,095 polling stations. Congress however conceded that it couldn’t appoint election agents in more than 50 percent polling stations in both constituencies, but claimed ‘it was due to threat and intimidation on party workers’.
Political situation suddenly heated up from normal post election calm over allegations of rigging and forgery. Except Congress, other opposition parties knocked the door of the election commission to hold fresh poll in both the Lok Sabha seats.
“Today we have displayed our anger. If election commission fails to conduct fresh poll, we would observe ‘black day’ on day of the counting”, Pragatishil Gramin Congress President Subal Bhowmik stated.
The election commission or state election officials have not officially commented over the serious charges made by the opposition parties. Chief Electoral Officer Ashutosh Jindal has only informed over complaints of irregularities at a polling station in Bishalgarh near Agartala and said enquiry was ongoing.
