Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, CPI(M) Polit Bureau members Sitaram Yechury, Brinda Karat and other prominent leaders took the election campaign in Tripura to its peak. Meanwhile, some incidents of clashes and threats were reported on the last day of campaigning on Tuesday.
Even parties with smaller base such as BJP, SUCI(I) and Amara Bangali threw weight in the campaigning for 60 member assembly in last two days. Vehicles decorated with party banners and fitted with huge public address system moved day and night, while activists of slogan chanting squads walked through lanes and by-lanes as a last minute effort to woo voters.
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Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi in second day of campaigning addressed big election rallies in Agartala and Kumarghat in north Tripura on Tuesday. Mr. Gandhi addressed four rallies on Monday, where he assured to implement pledges made in party’s election manifesto.
“We would provide employment in every household, give allowance to unemployed youths, hike salary of state government employees as per central government and sanction free ration to poorest people”, he highlighted at rallies in Agartala and Kumarghat on Tuesday.
Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram was present in election rallies at Kamalpur and Surma assembly constituencies in north Tripura. He complained the Left Front government has failed to work towards
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development of people and forced people into poverty during 20 years of continuous rule in Triprua.
Left refutes Congress charges
CPI(M) Polit Bureau members Sitaram Yechury, Brinda Karat and central committee members Mohammad Salim, Suhashini Ali and Surya Kanta Mishra in their whirlwind campaign flayed Congress – INPT alliance. They addressed altogether 43 rallies in last five days to counter star campaigners of Congress party.
“He (Rahul) is speaking irrelevant, he should know people will never bring down left front as it earnestly works for them. He should concentrate in Uttar Pradesh where his party faced humiliating defeat”, said Ms. Karat at Jolaibari in South Tripura. Mr. Yechury in his last rally at Stable Ground in Agartala urged people to vote for left front to maintain peace, prosperity and stability.
Clash
Meanwhile, sporadic incidents of clash and intimidation reported from different parts of the state. Two people were injured when Congress–CPI(M) supporters clashed at Khayerpur near Agartala in the afternoon.
Hundreds of Congress supporters staged protest outside West Agartala Police station after miscreants attacked a party vehicle in Pratapgarh. Senior PCC leaders pacified angry party men.
Tension between contesting political parties erupted in few other areas. Elaborate security arrangements have been made to hold a peaceful election in the state on February 14.
CPI(M) state secretary Bijan Dhar and state Congress Chief Sudip Roy Burman blamed their rivals to fan trouble on eve of election.