Reported by: Mrinal Banik
Agartala: Seat-sharing negotiations between the Left Front and the Congress for the upcoming Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC) elections in Tripura have made considerable progress, with the two parties reaching an understanding on 26 wards, CPI(M) state secretary and Leader of the Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury said on Monday.
Speaking to reporters, Chaudhury said Left Front candidates were filing nomination papers in the 26 wards where an agreement had been reached, while discussions with the Congress were continuing to finalise arrangements for the remaining seats.
Of the remaining 25 wards, the Left Front would contest a few, while the Congress was likely to field candidates in most of them, he said.
Chaudhury said a final decision on the remaining seats was expected within the next one or two days after Congress leaders returned from Delhi. Leaders of both parties would subsequently hold discussions to finalise the candidate list and complete the seat-sharing arrangement.
He said the understanding between the two parties was not confined to the Agartala Municipal Corporation elections. The Left Front and the Congress were also planning to coordinate their efforts in elections to other municipal councils across Tripura.
Outlining the key issues the opposition alliance intended to raise during the campaign, Chaudhury said the restoration of democracy, the fight against corruption and ensuring proper civic services for ordinary people would be its main priorities.
He said the alliance would approach voters with the demand for tangible improvements in civic amenities rather than what he described as empty campaign promises.
Taking a swipe at the ruling party, Chaudhury alleged that its concept of development was largely confined to the construction of five- and six-storey houses for ministers, political leaders and party workers, an increase in bank deposits and the purchase of expensive vehicles.
He claimed ordinary people had not benefited from such a model of development and said these issues would feature prominently in the opposition’s election campaign.
Reiterating the willingness of the Left Front and the Congress to contest the elections jointly, Chaudhury said discussions were progressing and the remaining differences over seat allocation would be resolved shortly.
There was no immediate response from the ruling party to Chaudhury’s allegations.