Congress, Left leave no stone unturned for poll campaign

Agartala, Feb 14 (UNI) The election campaign in Tripura is at its peak with patriotic Hindi songs being played everywhere and street shows organised by the party workers along with huge public rallies.

The Congress has launched its poll campaign through mobile vehicles, decorated mini-trucks draped with party flags and festoons.

Party leaders like Pranab Mukherjee, Broadcasting Minister P R Dasmunshi, Heavy Industry Minister Santosh Mohan Dev and Minister of State at PMO Prithiviraj Chavan along with 40 others have been campaigning even in remote areas of the state for the February 23 Assembly polls.

According to AICC media manager Sanjoy Dutt, Chief Ministers of four sates --J &K, Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh-- will be campaigning in the state till last while Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi will take part in the campaign process.

''We have hired two helicopters and 789 personal vehicles and set up makeshift offices at several places,'' Mr Dutt said adding that the party was confident to sweep to power in the state.

However, the Left Front has critisised such campaigns launched by the Congress and has already rounded off its first phase of campaign, barring the sitting MLAs assured of re-nomination.

State Information Minister Anil Sarkar, a well-known poet, has composed several folk songs that could connect with the people.

Composed in a South Tripura dialect (language of Chittagong district of Bangladesh), a folk song, of Anil Sarkar continues to act as a hilarious interlude in the campaign.

Ms Brinda Karat and Subhashani Ali, besides a dozen of West Bengal Ministers, Chief Minister of Tripura and senior leftist leaders in state and other part of the country have been campaigning against the misrule of Congress in 1988 and its failure in other states.

The party has listed about 40 top shots, including Prakash Karat, Sitaram Yechurri and West Bengal CM Budhadeb Bhattacharjee.

UNI BB PP SS1116