Demanding protection of voting rights of all people, the opposition CPI(M) along with other Left Parties and Congress in a joint rally with motto of “My Vote, My Rights” has organized a massive rally with tri-colours in Agartala and submitted a memorandum before the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Tripura.

As announced on January 19 last, the opposition Left Front and Congress by forming “Secular Democratic Forces”  has started their mass rally from Rabindra Satabarshiki Bhavan and after passing various thoroughfares of Agartala , the massive rally ended at Office Lane, where leaders of LF and Congress addressed the gathering.

While, a team of top leaders including CPI(M) state secretary Jitendra Chowdhury, Pradesh Congress president Birajit Sinha, Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman and other leaders submitted a memorandum before the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Tripura to ensure violence free elections.

This is for the first time, the Left parties and their decade old arch rival Congress joined hands together to organize the mass rally after the announcement of their pre-poll alliance with other secular and democratic parties.

Former Chief Minister and CPI(M) politburo member Manik Sarkar has also participated in the rally by joining hands with another veteran Congress leader and former Chief Minister Samir Ranjan Barman, AICC in-charge for Tripura Dr Ajoy Kumar, AICC secretary Szarita Laitphlang and other leaders of the both parties.

Displaying banners and placards with 'My Vote, My Right', 'Stop Poll Violence', thousands of opposition Congress and Left Front  workers and leaders virtually occupied the main roads of Agartala city with hundreds of national flags and rising slogans against BJP. They also raised slogans against the political violence especially against the opposition parties and their supporters and demanded a conducive atmosphere before the assembly polls.

While speaking with media persons after the rally opposition leader Manik Sarkar said that the Election Commission of India (ECI) have to ensure the voting rights of people as after formation of BJP government, all the elections held in that were vitiated by the ruling party and made these elections into a farce.

Condemning the attack of Congress workers and Dr Ajoy Kumar in Jirania and killing one Tipra-Motha supporter in Kamalpur, Sarkar alleged that BJP has continued its terror and violent politics across the state and has intensified their violence challenging ECI.

The steps taken by the ECI over Jirania violence is appreciable and the Commission should continue their interference over the law and order situation of the state for protection democratic rights of common people, said Sarkar.

CPI (M) state secretary Jitendra Chowdhury said that the full Election Commission led by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar visited the state last week, but what people are witnessing is that by organizing violence, the BJP leaders and ministers are challenging the commitment of the Commission.

The day EC declared the poll schedule, numbers of violent incidents occurred in different parts of Tripura, said Chowdhury and that the ECI should ensure that the law and order situation of the state should not be disturbed by BJP and RSS. He also appealed to the people to come forward to restore the democracy in the state by ensuring the defeat of BJP in assembly elections.

Pradesh Congress president Birajit Sinha and MLA Sudip Roy Barman said that Saturday's rally is not a political activity, it's an effort to honour the people's aspirations. They said that united efforts of people will definitely defeat the BJP.

Meanwhile, the CEO assured the delegation that political parties' concerns would be considered and that the Election Commission would take all steps to ensure free and fair elections.