Agartala: The ruling Left Front in Tripura on Sunday won handsomely in local self-government elections, bagging a majority in 470 of the 527 village committees.
The Congress and its ally the Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT), a tribal group, also fared better this time in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) elections held on Thursday.
The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), which heads the Left Front, credited the victory to its good organisational work among tribals and good governance.
According to officials, of the total of 4,293 seats in 527 village committees, equivalent to gram panchayats, the Left Front won 3,634 seats and got a majority in 470 village committees.
The Congress and INPT alliance bagged 624 seats and secured majority in 56 committee - 33 more than in 2005.
The remaining seats and committees were won by independents and others.
The TTAADC, which facilitates the socio-economic development of tribals and has jurisdiction over two-thirds of the state`s geographical area, was set up in 1985. Tribals form a third of Tripura`s 3.8 million people.
The Left Front said: "The result ... has proved the people`s determination for development, peace and a strong democratic mindset."
Congress leaders said they could have done better if the party was more organised in tribal areas and united before the polls.
"The results have proved that the tribals have been shifting their loyalty from Left parties to the Congress," party spokesman Tapas Dey said.
IANS
