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Kok Tripura, a cable TV channel popular among the tribals, which broadcasts programmes in Kokbarak – the language of more than 10 lakh tribals in the state – predicted that the CPI(M) could win only in 4-7 ST reserved seats while the BJP alliance could win in 13-16 seats.
It said, the Congress, TMC and others would have no presence in the reserved seats.
English newspapers of the region like Tripura Times also point out that last time around, 28 seats were won by the Left with a margin of less than 2,000 votes. A slight swing of votes in these crucial seats can change the political scenario of the state.
DinRaat, a local cable TV channel, predicted the Left Front to secure a minimum of 40 seats and maximum 49 seats and the BJP and IPFT alliance to win in 10-19 seats.
The channel predicted the Left parties to win in 15 out of 20 ST reserved seats.
Headlines Tripura — a local cable TV channel which broadcast the predictions of 'Peoples pulse', a Hyderabad-based agency, said the BJP-IPFT alliance could secure up to 54 percent votes this time. However, it did not predict the number of seats the parties will win.
In the 2013 Assembly elections, the ruling Left Front polled 52.32 percent votes while the Congress-Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT) combine secured 44.60 percent votes.
NewsX has predicted a victory for the BJP alliance, ending a 25-year run of the Left Front in the state. The TV channel gave the BJP alliance 35-45 seats and said the Left Front will bag 14-23 seats while one seat will be won by others.
On the other hand, Centre for Voting Opinion & Trends in Election Research (CVoter), a Delhi-based agency, hinted at a close fight and predicted that the CPI(M) and Left parties will win in 26-34 seats with 44.3 percent vote share. It predicted the BJP alliance to win in 24-32 seats with a vote share of 42.8 percent and said the Congress might win in two seats with 7.2 percent vote share.
Fingers are crossed in Tripura as the exit polls failed to present a clear picture on the winners and losers. The election results will be announced on 3 March.
In the 2013 Assembly elections, the ruling Left Front polled 52.32 percent votes while the opposition Congress-Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT) combine secured 44.60 percent votes.
89.8 percent of the over 25.73 lakh voters exercised their franchise for the Assembly polls on Sunday, 18 February, in Tripura, where the BJP is trying to dislodge the Left Front after an unbroken 25-year stint in power.
The CPI(M) contested in 57 seats and the other Left Front constituents – the RSP, Forward Bloc and CPI – in one seat each. The BJP forged an alliance with tribal outfit Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT), and fielded 51 candidates. IPFT is contesting in the remaining nine seats. The Congress went solo in Tripura this time and is contesting in 59 seats.
Counting began amid tight security.
Minutes into counting day, trends put the BJP and Left Front on par with seven seats each, as per CNN-News 18.
BJP is currently leading with ten seats, while the Left front follows with nine seats.
At 8.45 am, the Left front was shown to be leading with 14 seats, with the BJP following close on its heels with 11 seats, reported CNN News18.
Outgoing Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar can take shelter in West Bengal, Kerala or neighbouring Bangladesh, as the BJP is going to form the next government in the state, Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Saturday, 3 March.
"Manik Sarkar has just three options before him. He can go to West Bengal, where the CPI-M still has some presence. He can go to Kerala, where the party is in power and will rule for three more years or he can go to neighbouring Bangladesh," Sarma told reporters.
The BJP leader had kicked up a row by reportedly saying that the Tripura chief minister would be sent to Bangladesh after the Assembly elections in the state.
Sitaram Yechury had earlier tweeted regrading the results, thanking the people of Tripura for letting the party serve them for 25 years.
PM Narendra Modi tweeted a congratulatory message after trends indicated a victory to the party in Tripura.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee slammed the Congress leadership for not agreeing with the pre-poll seat sharing arrangements that she had recommended. She also cited the party's “total negligence” due to which its vote share got reduced to 1.2 percent in Tripura.
The BJP emerged with a clear majority by bagging 35 seats in Tripura, while its ally, the Indigenous People's Front Of Tripura (IPFT), managed to win eight seats, taking their alliance tally to 43. Incumbent Chief Minister Manik Sarkar-led CPI(M) managed to only grab six seats.
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Published: 02 Mar 2018,10:08 PM IST