The Tripura Election 2018 is over and now everyone is eagerly waiting for the result on 3rd March 2018. I still remember, while talking with a few politicians during 2012 I had told that
“If Congress is unable to come in power in this coming 2013 election they will vanish and become irrelevant from Tripura politics”
and eventually my words of 2012 have become reality by 2017.
During 2007 just before the 2008 Tripura legislative election, was a part of my curiosity, I had joined the small crowd of Congress workers just to listen to the speech of one of the young Congress leaders while going through the road. My understanding says simply shouting in front of the mic will never make a good leader if he is unable to deliver those needful words which actually audience want to hear from their leaders. If the leaders able to understand the nerve of the people he or she will automatically be the leader of the mass. Unfortunately, Congress leaders were unable to deliver the needful speeches neither able to use the anti-leftist sentiment for a mass public call for a change. Congress leaders were seriously missing a proper guide who could help them to identify their mistakes for years.
Congress is never a cadre based political organization. So it was always an unmatched fight in between the cadre based left parties and non-cadre based Congress. On the other hand, the nexus between Congress and left parties in centre has also gone against Congress as in Tripura the only vote bank other than left is anti-left voters.
After 2014 when BJP came to power in centre BJP took the state Tripura very seriously, and finally, a national party started working to fill up the vacuum of the opposition in Tripura. When BJP appointed Sunil Deodhar as the Tripura BJP state representative it was easily understandable to anyone about the seriousness of BJP.
Tripura politics was really in very bad shape for anti-left politics, during 1993 when Narasimha Rao Government was in a need of support from CPI(M), they imposed the Presidential rule in the state Tripura and systematically broke the anti-left vote bank in 2 to 3 parts and thus Congress has gifted the rule of the Tripura to CPI(M).
Sunil Deodhar realized that as soon as he started his political journey in Tripura as the BJP state representative. If we look at the numbers and statistics of the election results of 2013 it is easily understandable that more than 22 seats were have been decided in between 200 to 2100 votes. So when people say that Tripura is the house of CPI(M) is actually a wrong statement. By breaking the anti-left vote bank in parts CPI(M) was in power for years, even though the left front was in power they ragged the polling every time using the advantage of ADS(Absent , Death & Shifted ) voters , this secret was disclosed by cadres who were not willing to disclose their name.
So the question is “Why when the ruling left front says they are very powerful then why they need to ragged the polling?”.
That means the anti-left vote bank is really powerful in Tripura only they need to be united.
The other problem in this state is a red terror. Here in Tripura people are not allowed to speak against the leftist government. If any government employee doesn’t pay the fees to the CPI(M) party fund their promotions are either blocked or they are transferred to any remote area. In this circumstances, no government employees wishes to speak anything against the state government, so the ruling party enjoys the total monopoly.
Even the ground level even the poor’s are not spared from giving fees in CPI(M) party fund. For availing of any government benefits they are forced to run behind the micro level to top level CPI(M) leaders and in every level, they were being cross verified whether they are genuinely following or paying regular funds to the party funds or not.
There are lots of complaint in between unemployed people. Those who got teachers job after doing CPIM party for years were finally terminated by the Supreme Court because those jobs were given unlawful way. Due to that their entire youth life spoiled behind the political leaders and with the help of these people CPIM party was powerful but when they got their fruits unlawfully that too taken away by the law. There the unlawful appointments of 10323 were terminated and another 12000 additional joined recently.
People know that during this CPIM ruling law and order of the state was worse, three MLAs, one Cabinet Minister was assassinated in the daytime in public place. SDM of the state capital was assassinated in his office in the daytime. Recently several journalists were being killed in daylight and none of them were transferred to CBI even though there was huge public demand. What actually indicate by such surprising behaviors of the Manik Sarkar government is suspicious to all. But Manik Sarkar Government loudly announces and publicize that peace is being restored under the Manik Sarkar’s CM tenure, which does not reflect in statistics.
Another social issue was Bishnupriya Manipuri community, which is dominant in North Tripura, Unokuti and Dhalai District were clearly neglected systematically after the assassination of their influential leader Bimal Sinha. Very few are in government service from this community, even those who were there in civil service were deprived systematically.
With so many unsolved government scams, unemployment, nepotism in every sector of government jobs and facility increased the number of haters of the CPI (M) party in the state Tripura. If BJP can attract all anti-left votes towards them, and as the election held in the fear-free situation, there is a fair chance of BJP to come in power in Tripura- 2018.