Five Left parties in Tripura have decided to contest the upcoming municipal and urban local body elections jointly through seat-sharing arrangements, aiming to defeat the BJP.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the five Left parties held on Friday in Agartala, Tripura Left Front Committee convener Manik Dey said.
Dey said the parties had appealed to voters to ensure the victory of the Left Front in all 21 municipal and urban local bodies, citing its past record in providing civic amenities, public services and a secure and comfortable urban life.
He also called upon all secular and democratic forces to unite against what the Left parties described as the BJP’s divisive, communal and neo-fascist politics.
The meeting discussed the national and state political situations in detail, along with strategies for the forthcoming civic elections. The five parties agreed to coordinate their electoral contest through seat-sharing to challenge the BJP.
Apart from Dey, those present at the meeting included CPI (M) state secretariat member Ratan Das, CPI state secretary Milan Baidya, RSP state secretary Dipak Deb, All India Forward Bloc leader Raghunath Sarkar, CPI (ML) Liberation state secretary Partha Karmakar and Swapan Banik.
Criticizing the BJP-led state government and BJP-controlled municipal bodies, Dey alleged that they had failed to provide adequate civic services to residents across the 21 urban local bodies.
He claimed that property taxes and various fees had been increased substantially, placing an additional financial burden on citizens, while the quality of public services had continued to decline.
According to Dey, residents were facing problems related to civic security, unreliable electricity supply, unrepaired roads and lanes, inadequate drainage systems and shortages of drinking water in several areas. He also alleged that the authorities had failed to ensure the supply of safe drinking water and had made little progress in developing urban infrastructure.
Dey further alleged that corruption and administrative irregularities were widespread. He pointed to unhygienic conditions in urban markets and irregular garbage clearance as major civic concerns.
He also criticized the lack of maintenance of halls and auditoriums built by the previous Left Front government for cultural activities. According to him, increased rental charges had made these facilities unaffordable for many people associated with cultural programmes.
Referring to Agartala’s Smart City project, Dey alleged that the quality of civic services in the capital had deteriorated rather than improved.
Dey argued that the municipal and urban local bodies should not be entrusted to the BJP-led alliance in view of the problems faced by residents. He maintained that the previous Left Front government and Left-run civic bodies had contributed significantly to improving public services and urban living conditions.
Claiming that the achievements of the previous Left-led administrations provided a record of their work, he appealed to voters to support the Left Front in all 21 municipal and urban local bodies and ensure their victory.
The five Left parties reiterated their call for unity among secular and democratic forces to jointly challenge the BJP in the forthcoming civic elections.