60 per cent of the voters didn't vote for BJP: former Tripura chief minister

Agartala: Former chief minister of Tripura Manik Sarkar termed the BJP’s return to power in the state as ‘unexpected’, and alleged that the polls were turned into a ‘farce’.

The veteran leader who piloted the CPM-led government for several years until the BJP came to power in 2018 told news agency ANI that the BJP government’s performance was zero.

"It is unexpected as the government's performance was zero, democracy was attacked and the electorate's right to exercise franchise freely was snatched away. The polls were converted to a farce, and the Constitution didn't work," he was quoted as saying.

His assessment on the opposition’s failure is that several factors helped BJP dividing votes against it.

Manik Sarkar chose not to reveal which party helped BJP come to power again, but added that people starting staying who was behind it.

The veteran communist who is known for his simplicity said 60 per cent of voters had not voted for BJP.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) returned to power with an absolute majority 32 seats and a vote share of around 39 per cent.

The fledgling Tipra Motha Party came second, winning 13 seats overtaking Communist Party of India (Marxist)’s 11 seats and the Congress bagged three seats.

The Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) managed to win one seat.

The CPI(M) and the Congress joined hands to take on the BJP but their combined vote share was around 33 per cent.

The BJP that had never made any mark in the state before 2018 returned to power with a comfortable majority, pushing aside CPM which ruled the state for 35 years.