New government in Tripura may assume office on Tuesday

Agartala: The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM)-led Left Front government in Tripura is expected to assume office for a fourth consecutive term on March 11.

CPM spokesperson Goutam Das said that a state committee meeting of the party would be held and the new government would be formed in consultation with the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) within the next three to four days.

The Left Front won 49 seats, or more than three-fourths majority in the 60-member assembly. The CPM got 46 seats while its partners RSP got two and CPI one.

Manik Sarkar is expected to become the Chief Minster of Tripura for a third consecutive term. The front is expected to meet the governor tomorrow after a meeting of the Front to stake a claim for forming the government. Sarkar has described the massive victory as the verdict of the people for peace, prosperity and development.

The Congress and its ally, the Indigenous Nationalist Party of Twipra (INPT), barely survived the Left sweep with 11 seats.

Congress debacle

Talking to reporters in New Delhi, Congress Party spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan said her party had accepted the verdict with all humility and attributed the poll debacle in Tripura to localised factors.

Prakash Karat, General Secretary of CPM, said in New Delhi that the outcome of the elections reflected Tripura's rejection of the economic policies followed by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) at the centre.

Sitaram Yechuri, a Politburo member said: "Where we are in power, anti-incumbency does not work."