In a massive jolt to the Left Front, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set to oust the CPI(M) to gain foothold in another Northeastern state. Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, who governed the state since 1998, seems to have failed to secure another term for his party.
The BJP and its ally Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) are leading on 40 seats, out of 59 seats, as per the latest trends.
The BJP was leading in 32 seats with its ally IPFT ahead in 8 seats. The majority mark in the Assembly is 31.
The ruling CPI(M), which has been in power for the last 25 years, is ahead on 18 seats. The Left Front had last tasted defeat in 1988 Assembly polls at the hands of the Congress-Tripura Upajati Juba Samity combine.
The election in 59 seats for the 60-member Tripura Assembly was held on February 18. Polling was countermanded in one seat due to the death of a CPI(M) candidate.
The BJP contested in 51 seats in Tripura and secured over 42% votes. Its ally IPFT, which fielded candidates in 9 seats, got nearly 8% votes.
On the other hand, the CPI(M)-led Left Front, which had captured 50 of the 60 seats in the 2013 Assembly poll, managed to secure little over 43% this time.
Chief Minister Manik Sarkar was leading over his nearest BJP rival Pratima Bhoumik by over 2,000 votes in Dhanpur constituency.
BJP state president Biplab Kumar Deb and party MLA Sudip Roy Burman are leading from their respective seats of Banamlipur and Agartala.
The Congress could not establish a lead in any of the constituencies.
Assam Minister and BJP in-charge for the state Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed that the BJP will form the government after winning around 45 seats in the 60-member Tripura Assembly.
"We will be winning 44-45 seats in Tripura. We will form the government," he told reporters here as initial trends indicated that the BJP is leading in 25 seats out the 59 seats where elections were held.
Crediting the favourable results to the hardwork of party workers of Tripura in the last three years, Sarma said the merger of Trinamool Congress' Tripura unit with the BJP was the most significant factor in the politics of the Northeastern state as it consolidated the opposition and anti-CPI-M votes.
The Assam education minister said the BJP's alliance with the tribal-dominated IPFT has also helped the saffron party.
(With PTI inputs)
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