Agartala: With 36 candidates from different political parties withdrawing their nomination papers on the last day of withdrawal of candidatures from the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) elections, 785 candidates are left in the fray. The election will be held on November 25.
Among the candidates, the major opposition Left Front had withdrawn 17 including 15 from the CPIM and two from All India Forward Bloc. Indian National Congress withdrew eight candidatures, All India Trinamool Congress candidatures withdrew four and seven independent candidates.
The CPIM led Left Front withdrew 17 nomination papers, of which five were from Dharmanagar Municipal Council, four from Khowai Municipal Council, five from Agartala Municipal Corporation, three from Melaghar Municipal Council of the total 214 candidatures that the party had filed against the BJP.
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Speaking on the issue, CPIM state secretary Jitendra Chaudhury said that since the nominations were filed the ruling BJP has been pressurizing the CPIM candidates to withdraw the nomination papers.
"Fascistic attacks on the candidates have been carried out across the state and they say that free and fair elections will be conducted in the state. We have been condemning such barbaric attacks on the candidates and their family members. We will fight them hard in the elections," Chaudhury added.
Even the Trinamool Congress leader Sushmita Dev also echoed the same like Chaudhury.
Altogether the BJP would be contesting from all 334 seats and CPIM led Left Front from 208, of which six are from CPI, two from RSP and three from All India Forward Block and the rest from CPIM, Trinamool Congress from 120 seats and Congress will fight in 92.
The Left Front will contest from 46 seats in Agartala Municipal Corporation, TMC and BJP from all 51 seats, Congress from 33 seats and 20 others are independent candidates.
