A day after the conclusion of the polling process, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Friday reiterated that the BJP will be able to return to power in the state without having to forge any new alliance. The party has tied-up with regional outfit Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) for the polls.
Addressing a press meet, Saha exuded confidence that the BJP will perform better than what it did in the last elections. Amid speculation that the Tipra Motha may emerge as the kingmaker in case no party wins absolute majority, Saha said that is not a possibility.
"The BJP alone will win absolute majority in the 60-member Assembly. I do believe that the party will win more seats this time. The party will need no help from Tipra Motha," he said.
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In the 2018 Assembly elections, the saffron party had won 36 seats, while its ally IPFT bagged eight seats and the CPI(M) 16. The Congress failed to open its account. Asked about IPFT's prospects, he said, "We have left five seats to them. It is up to them to say how many seats they are hoping to clinch this election."
He asserted that Tripura, for the first time, witnessed a violence- and malpractice-free election. "People were seen exercising their democratic rights without any trouble," he said. Alleging that the CPI(M) and the Congress had tried to create trouble on the day of polling, Saha claimed that BJP leaders and workers, however, "showed patience and peacefully handled the situation".
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Asked about the allegation of irregularities by party candidate from Golaghati constituency, Hemani Debbarma, Saha said, "Let the matter be checked first. If the claim is genuine, repoll could be sought." To a query if he will be the next chief minister, the doctor-turned-politician replied, "The future will decide… Nobody knows the future." An average of 87.63 per cent voting was recorded in Thursday's elections.
