Tripura polls: TIPRA anxiety for Left-Congress combine 

A last-ditch effort for a seat-sharing arrangement in order to prevent the division of anti-BJP votes is on.

The Left Front-Congress combine has made a last-ditch effort for a seat-sharing arrangement with the Tipraha Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance, or TIPRA Motha, led by Tripura’s royal scion, Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma. 

The push is a bid to offset the probable division of anti-BJP votes after the TIPRA Motha fielded 42 candidates — 22 in non-tribal areas beyond the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC). 

Parallelly, the Left Front and Congress are in talks to iron out their differences over four seats. The Left Front, primarily the CPI (M), fielded 47 candidates and allotted the remaining 13 seats to the Congress but the latter put up candidates in 17 seats. 

One Congress candidate opted out later, leaving the tussle over three seats to be resolved by February 2, the last date of withdrawal of nominations. 

State secretary of the CPI (M) Jitendra Choudhury confirmed the efforts to strike a seat-sharing deal in order not to hand the BJP an advantage. 

“Our talks with the TIPRA Motha are on. Both sides are examining the possibility of coming to an agreement by February 2,” he told journalists on Tuesday, insisting that the Left Front’s arrangement with the Congress was not an alliance but an “adjustment”. 

State Congress president Birajit Sinha echoed Mr. Choudhury. “An understanding with TIPRA Motha should result in the withdrawal of nominations by some candidates,” he said.