Left, Cong to withdraw candidates fielded against each other in Tripura

Agartala, Feb 2

The CPI-M led Left Front and the Congress late on Wednesday night announced that both parties would withdraw their candidates fielded against each other in the February 16 Tripura elections, as per their seat-sharing agreement.

The Left parties, led by the CPI-M, on January 25 announced the names of 47 candidates leaving 13 seats to their new ally Congress while dropping eight sitting MLAs.

Congress leaders were upset over the paltry allotment of seats by the Left parties. On January 28, Congress announced 17 candidates.

On the last day of filling of nominations on Monday, both the Left parties and the Congress have fielded candidates against each other in many seats. On late Wednesday night, the CPI-M, in a statement, said that they would withdraw their additional candidates fielded against the Congress candidates and urged the Congress leaders to reciprocate.

Congress spokesman and party's state General Secretary Prashanta Bhattacharjee told IANS late on Wednesday night that their candidates, fielded against the Left party nominees, would be withdrawn on Thursday.

Thursday is the last day of withdrawal of candidatures. Congress leader and the party's lone MLA in Trpura, Sudip Roy Barman, had said that they had first demanded 27 seats, and then 23 seats from the Left parties.

According to the Congress candidates' list, Roy Barman would seek re-election from the Agartala constituency while state party President Birajit Sinha would contest from Kailasahar.