Left Front Struggling to Find Candidates in Jirania, Claims Sushanta Chowdhury
State Minister and MLA from Mohanpur Assembly constituency, Sushanta Chowdhury, has alleged that the Left Front has lost its public support and is facing an acute shortage of candidates in the Jirania subdivision ahead of the upcoming municipal elections. He attributed the alleged decline in the Left Front's popularity since 2018 to what he described as discriminatory treatment of ordinary people and a politics of violence and terror during its long years in power.
Agartala, : State Minister and MLA from Mohanpur Assembly constituency, Sushanta Chowdhury, has alleged that the Left Front has lost its public support and is facing an acute shortage of candidates in the Jirania subdivision ahead of the upcoming municipal elections. He attributed the alleged decline in the Left Front's popularity since 2018 to what he described as discriminatory treatment of ordinary people and a politics of violence and terror during its long years in power.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Chowdhury claimed that the Left Front's organisational weakness in Jirania had reached such a stage that people were unwilling not only to contest elections on its ticket but even to act as proposers for its candidates. He cited the opposition's reported inability to field candidates in areas such as Mohanpur, Santirbazar, Kamalpur, Ranirbazar and Jirania as an indication of its declining grassroots support.
The minister said the BJP was attaching considerable importance to the upcoming municipal elections. According to him, every election, from Panchayat and Nagar Panchayat to Municipal Councils and the Agartala Municipal Corporation, is significant as local governance is directly linked to people's expectations, everyday needs and development priorities. Expressing confidence in his party's prospects, he said the BJP expected to perform well across urban local bodies on the strength of the development work undertaken by the state government and municipal authorities.
Chowdhury also took a dig at the proposed electoral understanding between the Left Front and the Congress. He alleged that the INDIA bloc lacked a clear political programme or a people-centric agenda, with its sole objective being a change of government. He further claimed that there was a lack of coordination between the Left Front and the Congress over seat-sharing arrangements.
Pointing to what he described as contradictory statements from the two parties, the minister said one side was announcing candidates while the other was claiming that no discussions had taken place. He questioned the credibility of the proposed alliance in view of these differences and claimed that voters would reject the INDIA bloc in the upcoming elections.
On the future development plans for the Agartala Municipal Corporation, Chowdhury said the BJP would release a detailed election manifesto before the polls. The manifesto would outline plans to complete pending development projects and undertake new initiatives. Beautification of the capital, improvement of roads, drinking water supply, electricity services, education and healthcare infrastructure would receive priority, he added.
The minister further said the BJP would seek votes by highlighting the work and development initiatives undertaken by the previous municipal board. The party's detailed roadmap and future commitments for the Agartala Municipal Corporation would be presented through its election manifesto, he added.