'Tripura poll result will impact national politics, CPI (M)'

Kolkata: The Tripura Assembly Election result, to be declared today, will have far reaching consequences not only nationally but also within the CPI (M), which has been in power in the state for the past 25 years, a leader of the Left party said. The BJP has emerged as a strong contender in Tripura as well as Meghalaya and Nagaland where counting of votes will be held on Saturday. Two exit polls have predicted that the party would dethrone the 25-year-old Left Front government in Tripura and consolidate its position in the other two states. "If the Left Front wins in Tripura then there might not be any chance of altering the political draft that has been adopted. But, if the BJP wins then the question of adjustment with the Congress to stop the BJP will again come up," he said. A senior CPI(M) central committee member, who did not wish to be named, echoed the view and said there is always the chance of change in the draft resolution before it is finally adopted by the party congress. The central committee member said the West Bengal party unit has a clear understanding about the menace of the BJP, but the Kerala unit is yet to understand the magnitude of the "threat" the saffron brigade poses. "Our Tripura unit, too, has a taste of BJP's divisive politics," the central committee member said. CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury along with a large section of leaders from Bengal have been vocal about the adjustment with the Congress to stop the BJP. But his political line has been vehemently opposed by the party's Kerala unit along with politburo member Prakash Karat, known as a hardliner in the CPI (M). The CPI(M) central committee had on January 21 voted against the draft political resolution pitched by Yechury proposing alliance with the Congress. It adopted a draft resolution, which will be placed before the party congress, ruling out any form of electoral alliance or adjustment with the Congress. Election for 59 seats in Tripura's 60-member house were held on February 18 and the results will be declared tomorrow. Polling in one seat was postponed to March 12 following the death of a CPI(M) candidate. Exit poll by a TV news channel gave the BJP alliance 35-45 seats in Tripura and said the Left Front will bag 14-23 seats while one seat would be bagged by others. On the other hand Centre for Voting Opinion & Trends in Election Research (CVoter) hinted at a close fight and predicted that CPI(M) and Left parties would win in 26-34 seats with 44.3 per cent vote share. It predicted that the BJP alliance would bag in 24-32 seats with a vote share of 42.8 per cent and said the Congress might win in two seats with 7.2 per cent vote share.