Ending all speculations and expectations the Opposition Congress and CPM finally decided to fight it out in the ensuing assembly polls jointly.
AICC observer for Tripura Dr Ajoy Kumar and CPM state secretary Jitendra Choudhury held the all-important meeting on Friday evening at the CPM party office and then they came out from the closed room all-smile and announced that the alliance had, indeed, been finalized to put up a decisive fight against the ruling BJP.
Dr Kumar in reply to a question said that the matters relating to the electoral alliance had been finalized and now leaders of the both parties would sit together to discuss the seat sharing and also joint poll strategies. The meeting for seat sharing and strategizing would be held soon.
They also said that talks were also on with the TIPRA Motha and Pradyot Kishore Debbarman had been invited to hold discussions on the united opposition fight. Debbarman remained non-committal as of now but told the Congress and CPM that the TIPRA Motha would fight the elections with all might.
Jitendra Choudhury claimed that the decision to join hands with the Congress was taken keeping in mind the popular sentiment and demand for ouster of the BJP from the power.
“The main target is to rout the BJP from the power and that is why a united fight of the opposition parties became necessary”, he opined.
The opposition CPM did not hide its desperation for going to go for an alliance with its traditional rival in the state -till 2018 – Congress as it had already become clear that as singular political entity the Marxists did not have the power to beat the BJP which had emerged as a fordable political force in the state. The Congress, perennially dogged by factional feuds, on the other hand, did not have much strength left and it felt it prudent to hold the hands of the Marxists. MLA Sudip Roy Barman was the main votary for the alliance.
However, political analysts pointed out that many of the common Congress workers were not ‘comfortable’ with the proposed alliance with the Communists under whose rule they had to face multifaceted onslaught and they had to fight them all along.
“Now it is to be seen how the Congress leaders manage to convince the party foot soldiers and hold them together and also make them go forward with ‘the enemy bed fellows’ to the ensuing assembly elections”, said an observer here.
