Tripura BJP not happy with poll & result dates

Agartala, Jan 12: The Tripura BJP state committee on Saturday said that the upcoming Assembly elections should be held on February 20 instead of the scheduled date of February 14. Expressing displeasure, state BJP president Sudhindra Dasgupta said recenlt that the election date clashed with Saraswati Puja, an auspicious occasion for students, which falls on February 15 and if schools and institutes were booked for election purposes, the students would find it difficult to prepare for the Puja.

Dasgupta said this might adversely affect Bengali sentiments for Saraswati Puja is a popular occasion in these parts, similar to what Ganesh Chaturthi is in Maharashtra.

He also objected to the result date, which is February 1, saying it would again cause problem to students who would appear for the higher secondary examination starting on March 1. He appealed to the Election Commission to bring the date of declaration of results ahead by two days, so that the students were not put into inconvenience.

The CPI(M) and the Congress, however, have welcomed the poll date. Leaders of both parties said it was important to conduct the election as per the schedules to avoid constitutional crisis. The CPI(M), which is looking forward to form the seventh Left Front government in the state, had asked the poll panel to conduct the election in mid-February.

However, both the CPI(M) and the Congress were accusing each other of trying to delay the elections.

OneIndia News