Tripura Assembly election results: We are confident, Left’s lead will get bigger, says Brinda Karat

As trends from Tripura showed the Left Front leading in Assembly elections 2018, Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Brinda Karat said that the party was confident of Manik Sarkar government retaining power in the northeastern state.

Speaking to news agency ANI, Brinda Karat said, “We are very confident. Let more rounds of counting complete, our leads are going to get much bigger.”

Despite a strong challenge by the BJP and its allies, the Left Front is ahead and has crossed the half-way mark in the 60-member Assembly. Chief Minister Manik Sarkar is leading from Dhampur.

Left Front has been in power in Tripura for the last 25 years and Manik Sarkar has had a very clean record. He has been the chief minister of Tripura for 19 years. The Left Front consists of Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI(M) – which is the dominant party, Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and All India Forward Bloc (AIFB).

In its bid to gain power in the state, the BJP allied with the tribal political outfit Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT) while the Congress is going solo.

The state went to polls on February 18. The voting was held in 59 seats, out of the total 60. CPIM candidate for the Charilam constituency Ramendra Narayan Deb Barma. The assembly constituency will now go to polls on March 12.