The election is most vital for the CPIM, CPI, RSP and All India Forward Block those combine to form the Left Front, and after losing power in Kerala and West Bengal will put its full power to win the poll as it is a question of their existence in the Indian subcontinent.

Like earlier years, the inner fight of the Congress after the declaration of the candidate list, was well projected through the protest and burning down of party offices but as the date of polling is coming closer the leaders seems to be united and campaign for their party candidates.

There was a weeklong drama in the Congress which led to a change in at least two seats even after the declaration of its nomination list from Delhi.

The first change was in the Kayerpur constituency where veteran Congress leader and its spokesman Ratan Chakrabort was replaced by young Baptu Chakrabort, leading to resignations of more than 100 senior Congress workers.

The second blow to Congress, is the high drama in the Charilam seat from which royal scion of the Manikya dynasty of Tripura Pradyot Kishore Manikya was supposed to be a candidate however, he opted out at the last second. Similarly, also was the case of Youth Congress president Susanta Chowdhury whose name was proposed from Matabari seat.

Another significant change, was that Congress had initially declared alliance only with the INPT but later under situational pressure had formed alliance with Nationalist Council of Tripura and left the Ranchandraghat seat for its president Animesh Debbarma on condition of withdraw of his party nomination from earlier declared nine other seats. NCT though may not be a winner factor but surely a losing factor for Congress and INPT in few seats in the newly formed Khowai district.

In return of the Ranchandraghat which was initially a seat of INPT, Congress had to compensate it with the Kanchanpur seat and from where Sebika Reang was replaced by former Tripura Upajati Juba Samati (TUJS) minister Drau Kumar Reang.

Taking queue from West Bengal the Tripura Congress also demanded ‘parivartan’ (change), and to give them a chance for five years so that the people can see the difference and get a corruption free, pro-people transparent government which will bring the real development in the state.

Tripura were on an average the winning margin of vote in most constituencies IT is less than thousand and in atleast A few cases, EVEN a single vote has been A factor.

Another promise in the joint manifesto of the Congress, INPT and NCT is the monthly dole for the unemployed youths if they form government and had also distributed more than three lakh forms.

Beside, this is the first time Congress had take the voters list seriously and on the demand of a error free electoral roll the final list was declared more than two weeks and some 46000 name were deducted which is a big number in the Tripura perspective.

But again Left has its own strategies as there has been silent reshuffling of seats and in the name of delimitation which has been a major factor for the Congress to come to power in the centre in the seventies, this time in Tripura it may be in favor of the ruling party. Moreover, there has been a change in the seats as few seats have been changed into ST reserved and similarly SC also.

Left is giving its maximum importance to the Tripura poll and it can be well established from the CPIM central committee and politburo, having several rounds of discussion on forming strategies for the Tripura poll since, on returning back to power in the state depend the future of the Left in the Indian perspective.

Left Front ruled the state between 1978 and 1988; it returned to power in 1993 and has remained there ever since. It at present have the slogan form the 7th Left Front government in the state and the biggest power of the party is its penetration in the remote tribal areas where it has a strong base unlike the Congress which is totally dependent on the alliance INPT and NCT.

Any Left leader of Tripura will say that the prime reason behind their parties popularity in this small state are the people, particularly from the tribal section who believe that if Left is absent, then there will be no one to hear them.

Beside this the biggest factor that the Left government has achieved is peace in the state. Most of the insurgent groups are inactive with its leaders and cadres either killed or they had to surrender as the state border has been almost fenced with the neighboring nation. Bangladesh which has also taken few steps in not allowing the Indian insurgents in not allowing usage of its land.

But instead of making development and peace the prime issues for the election, Left like earlier elections is still more dependent on its propaganda of alleging the opposition leaders of maintaining close links with the banned militant groups, who are likely to disturb the election process in order to come back to power through the backdoor by promulgating President’s Rule in the state.

Left with its strong cadre base working round the year, has propagated that the development taking place even in the remotest part of the state like- roads, schools, MGNREGA, land right for the forest dwellers, PDS and whatever they get will be there only if Left is there in the power. There is no reason for the people not to believe them because most of the opposition leaders only come out of their cocoon in capital Agartala, a few weeks before the election.

The Congress leaders may today claim that Left plays the politics of depriving the people and keep them dependent on the party cadres for every need, but this has given a chance to the middle and lower level Left leader to take undue advantage though the party without any hesitation can claim of clean and corruption free top leaders including the prime figure who is on the headline of being the poorest chief minister of India – Manik Sarkar.

But why does the Left Front of Tripura seems to be very worried, despite its claim for a corruption free, pro-people government to bring in peace and development?

West Bengal has been a learning lesson for Left and getting ousted from there after being in power for 34 years, they have learned that the party cannot totally depend on the inputs being provided by the party cadres at the grass root level. During the three days CPIM internal meeting in the Agartala town hall the party has taken a resolution for refining the lower cadres and keeping more vigil and creation of dedicated cadres who believes in the Left ideology in today’s world of a consumer’s type of lifestyle.

The fear of the so called, ‘call of parivartan’ imported by the Congress from Trinamool of West Bengal may shatter the lone house of the Left in this northeastern state, because initially the government employees had felt that they were deprived by the state government, who had not given salary at the central scale.

Tribal’s, once the strongest hold of the Left parties who are gradually developing economically improving from jhumia tribe to settled rubber cultivator, beside educationally improving with the introduction of various central government schemes in the rural areas like – Sarba Siksha Abhijan including mid-day meal for student up to class eight, has reduced the school drop-out drastically.

Beside this the 100 days job guarantee act under MGNREGA, is providing extra income for a better life style, and also the ‘patta’ or forest land right act to the tribal people living in the forest area and economic activities through self-help groups (SHGs) which is drastically making the tribal people economically solvent and progressive to have their own decision making will power and also to be less dependent on their community leaders.

There is no doubt that the Left government has brought about positive changes and a congenial peaceful atmosphere in the state, but now the most important factor is whether the people of the state will continue the Leftist ideology or the neo-liberal Congress policies that leads to an open economy, will be decided on coming February 14 and reveled on February 28.

By Chandana Bhowmik