Assam Finance Minister and BJP in-charge for Tripura on Saturday stated that the saffron party would win around 45 seats in the 60-member Tripura State Assembly and form government in the State.
As per the latest updates by the Election Commission of India, in Tripura, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has won 7 seats and is leading in 28 seats, the IPFT has won 5 seats and is leading in 3 seats and the CPI-M has won 5 seats and is leading in 11 seats.
“We will win 44 to 45 seats in Tripura and form government in the State,” Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is also the convenor of the North-East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) told media persons in Agartala as the BJP-IPFT alliance was leading during the counting of votes for 59 seats.
For the poll results which indicate that the State is going towards formation of a BJP-led government, Sarma gave credit to the hard work of party workers of Tripura in the last three years. He also reportedly said that the merger of Trinamool Congress’ Tripura unit with the BJP was also one of the most significant factors in the politics of the Tripura which consolidated the opposition and anti-CPI-M votes. “People were fed up with the Manik Sarkar government which has been ruling the state for more than two decades and wanted to get rid of the CPI-M rule,” TOI reported quoting Sarma as saying.
The Assam minister also reportedly said that the BJP’s alliance with the tribal-dominated IPFT also helped the BJP a lot. “Tribal votes in Tripura is around 35 per cent and they voted for the BJP lock, stock and barrel,” Sarma reportedly said.
The report also stated Sarma dismissed the suggestion that the minorities, particularly the Christians in the Northeastern region, were against the BJP saying the community “wholeheartedly” supported the saffron party.