Congress announces list of 17 candidates for Tripura assembly polls

Guwahati: What may come as a fissure in alliance, Congress party in Tripura announced a list of 17 candidates for the February 16 assembly polls.

On Wednesday, Left parties announced that Congress has stitched seat sharing in 60 member Tripura assembly wherein CPIM will contest 43 seats while Congress will contest 13 seats, CPI, Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), Forward Bloc and Independent one each.

Congress was miffed with the seat sharing deal as it wanted 27 seats. Congress leader and the party's lone MLA, Sudip Roy Barman, had said that they had first demanded 27 seats, and then 23 seats from the Left parties."They (Left parties) have taken the decision as per their whims and fancies, we would go as per the wishes of the people.”


According to the Congress candidates’ list, announced by the party's Central Election Committee General Secretary Mukul Wasnik Roy Barman would seek re-election from the Agartala constituency while state party President Birajit Sinha would contest from Kailasahar.

Former Tripura state Congress President Gopal Roy would contest from Banamalipur seat and former MLA Ashish Kumar Saha would seek re-election from Bordowali seat.

Three parties BJP, Congress and Forward Bloc -- have nominated their candidates for the Badharghat constituency from the same family.

While BJP nominated Mina Rani Sarkar, her elder brother Raj Kumar Sarkar has been fielded by Congress and Forward Bloc nominated their nephew Partha Ranjan Sarkar, a lawyer.