Over 90% BJP candidates in Tripura local body polls elected unopposed

New Delhi, Sep 15: After the formation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Tripura, around 90 per cent the BJP candidate in gram panchayats, panchayat samities and zila parishads by-elections have been elected unopposed in the state. Tripura local body by-elections are scheduled for September 30, 2018.

After the nomination date of Tripura local body by-elections ended, the Tripura State Election Commission has found that on most of the seats none of the political parties fielded their nomination except the BJP. As per the information, the BJP has filed the nomination on 3207 seats that have been vacated while the main opposition party Communist Party of India (Marxist) fielded candidature on 115 seats.

The Congress has fielded candidates on just 120 seats and the BJP ally in Tripura Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) is contesting election on 63 seats. There are six independent candidates. Similarly 161 vacated seats of panchayat samiti, the BJP is contesting elections on all seats while CPI, Congress and IPFT are contesting 8, 6 and 6 seats respectively.

The BJP is contesting on all 18 seats of zila panchayat while CPI (M) has fielded its candidates on just one seat. No other political party's candidate has filed nomination for zila parishad elections.

State elections commissioner G Kameswara Rao on September 1 announced that the by-elections for the 3,386 vacant seats of three-tier gram panchayats, panchayat samities and zila parishads is scheduled to be held on September 30. Rao said that the counting of votes would be done on October 3.

The by-elections were necessitated mostly due to the resignations and deaths of the elected representatives. Of the 3,386 vacant seats in the three-tier local rural bodies where by-elections would be held, 3,207 seats are in gram panchayats followed by 161 seats in panchayat samities and 18 seats in zilla parishads.