Northeast elections: BJP releases first list of 44 candidates for Tripura polls
Seeking to challenge the ruling CPI(M) in its bastion, BJP has announced its first list of 44 candidates in the 60-seat Tripura Assembly and has allied with Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT).
While releasing the list, senior BJP leader J P Nadda said the Central Election Committee headed by party chief Amit Shah finalised the list of 44 candidates. The party is going to contest on 51 seats and nine have been kept for its alliance partner, IPFT.
The
BJP
refrained
from
announcing
a
chief
ministerial
candidate
for
the
state
elections.
The
list
includes
the
name
of
BJP's
state
general
secretary
Pratima
Bhowmik
who
will
be
contesting
from
Dhanpur,
the
constituency
of
Chief
Minister
Manik
Sarkar.
The party has decided to field its state president Biplab Kumar Deb from Banamalipur. "We have considered all sections and walks of society while choosing our candidates. While there are are 10 seats reserved for SC candidates, we are going to field 11 SC candidates. One is contesting from a regular seat", he said.
Nadda was speaking after the meeting of the Central Election Committee which was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and all its members.
The list also includes seven sitting MLAs, four women, 10 professionals like doctors and engineers, and two candidates from the field of arts. The BJP did not win any seat in the last state assembly polls but emerged as the main challenger to the ruling CPI(M).
Several leaders from parties such as the Congress and the TMC joined its ranks in the last couple of years.
Tripura will go to the polls on 18 February and vote- counting will be held on March 3 along with Nagaland and Meghalaya.
OneIndia News (with PTI inputs)