Amidst a difference among the INDIA bloc partners in Tripura, the crucial state committee meeting of the opposition CPI(M) will be held on Sunday and CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and senior politburo member Prakash Karat have already arrived in the state capital to participate in the state committee meet.

Though the Congress nominated its state party chief President Ashish Kumar Saha for the Tripura West Lok Sabha seat, bloc partner CPI-M has yet to declare its candidate for the Tripura East Lok Sabha (reserved for ST) nor has it disclosed its stand about the Congress candidature.

Tripura Pradesh Congress president Ashish Kumar Saha, who is contesting the Lok Sabha elections from West Tripura Parliamentary seat as a candidate of INDIA bloc y said that the central leaders of CPI (M) and the Congress have already decided that the Congress would contest the Tripura West seat and the CPI (M) the Tripura East seat.

Congress leaders urged the Left to announce its candidate at the earliest to take on the ruling BJP.

Sources in the CPI (M) said that the state Committee would meet on March 17 and the candidate-related and other election issues would be discussed in the meeting, where party General Secretary Sitaram Yechury or Politburo member Prakash Karat  will be present.

Sources said added that the CPI(M) state committee will have detailed discussion to select their candidate for East Tripura seat and party is now contemplating the names of probable candidates including senior party leader and former minister Naresh Jamatia, party’s young leaders and former EM of ADC, Rajendra Reang and former party MLA Prabhat Chaudhury.

It may be recalled here that amidst speculation over the future of Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A) among opposition CPI (M) and Congress in Tripura, who were contested last assembly election together, but, on March 9th last All India Congress Committee (AICC) announced its candidate name for West Tripura Parliamentary constituency without any consultation with their INDIA alliance partner, CPI(M), who are now the main opposition party of the state.

Tripura Pradesh Congress president Ashish Kumar Saha has been named as party candidate for West Tripura constituency and will enter into fray of election with BJP candidate and former Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb.

Sources close to both parties said that both CPI(M) an Congress maintaining their INDIA alliance were amicably agreed to contest both Lok Sabha seats of Tripura and Congress has demanded for West Tripura seat and CPI(M) will enter into the fray of LS polls from East Tripura ST reserved constituency.

After rounds of meetings, the leaders of both parties had also decided to announce the candidate names for West and East Tripura seats jointly in a press conference, but all of sudden Congress on March 9th announced their candidate name for West Tripura seat without any consultation with their INDIA alliance partner CPI(M), which has a main reason over the announcement of CPI(M) candidate for East Tripura seat and a section party leaders are also in favour to contest both seats with CPI(M) candidates.

However, sources confirmed that the opposition will announce the name of party candidate only for East Tripura seat with a young and dynamic face to put challenges against BJP candidate Maharani Kriti Singh Debbarma, elder sister of Tipra-Motha’s supremo Pradyot Kishore Debbarma.