Assembly elections in Tripura will be held on February 16 and the results will be declared on March 2.
UPDATED: Jan 18, 2023 16:08 IST
The Election Commission on Wednesday announced the schedule for assembly election in Tripura (Photo: Representational)
By India Today Web Desk: The Election Commission on Wednesday announced the schedule for assembly election in Tripura. Tripura, where the BJP is currently in power, goes to the hustings on February 16. Counting of votes will take place on March 2. Tripura’s assembly session will end on March 22 this year.
The Legislative Assembly of Tripura is 60-member strong. The BJP-Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT) alliance swept the 2018 Tripura assembly polls, winning a two-third majority in the 60-member House, ending the 25-year-long Left rule in the state.
Of the 60 seats on offer, the BJP had won 35, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) bagged 16, IPFT won 8 while the Congress drew a nil.
Tripura will have 3,328 polling stations across the state.
TRIPURA ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS 2023
This time, an incumbent BJP will face a triangular contest with the Left-Congress combine and the Trinamool Congress. The BJP has 34 MLAs in the 60-member assembly, while its ally IPFT has five.
Biplab Dev became the chief minister after BJP’s victory in the state but was removed in May 2022 over performance issues. The party then chose Dr Manik Saha as the new CM. Saha also faces the challenge of ironing out the differences growing within the state unit.
On the other hand, the Left and the Congress have come together in Tripura, like they did, unsuccessfully, in West Bengal in 2021, to defeat the BJP.
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While the BJP hopes to continue its alliance with the tribal-based party IPFT, new entrant Tipra Motha, led by Tripura royal family scion and former Congress leader Pradyot Bikram Manikya Deb Barma, is expected to play a crucial role this year.
Trinamool Congress is also trying to expand its footprint in the state. TMC chief and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has visited Tripura and will do so again as the campaign picks up. Led by its north-east in-charge Sushmita Dev, TMC hopes to put up a spirited fight this time in its bid to expand the party beyond Bengal.
Here’s a breakdown of the election schedule in Tripura:
Date of issue of notification: Jan 21
Last date for filing nomination: Jan 20
Date of scrutiny: Jan 31
Last date of withdrawal of nomination: Feb 2
Date of poll: Feb 16
Date of counting: March 2
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