BJP set to conquer 'red fortress' Tripura, Yogi welcomes mandate

New Delhi/Agartala: The BJP is all set to wrest power in CPI-M bastion Tripura as the party and its ally IPFT, according to trends so far, has mustered about 49 per cent of vote share together and is set to win at least 31 seats.

The BJP-IPFT alliance has so far polled 4 lakh votes against 3,48,000 of CPI-M led Left Front.

Prem Shukla of BJP said, "This is the golden moment of Tripura politics and shows the mandate is a tribute to

the leadership of the Narendra Modi government and also the organisational leadership of Amit Shah".

According to trends, BJP was leading in 25 seats and IPFT in 6 while the CPI-M was leading in 16.

TV channels show Left parties were leading in 24 as against 35 by the BJP.

"The mandate shows inefficiency of Manik Sarkar government," said Mr Shukla.

Nearly 80 per cent of the state's 3.7 million people are Bengali-speaking Hindus, mostly migrated from Bangladesh.

Tripura has been ruled by a communist government since 1990s and Manik Sarkar has been Chief Minister

since 1998.

The BJP worked on different poll strategies in Tripura unlike in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, where pro-Hindu issues such as the banning of beef, cow vigilantism were under the political spotlight. In Tripura, BJP banked on more pressing issues like unemployment, women empowerment and industrialisation.

Even the state government servants were wooed by none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi promising that the BJP if voted to power will implement 7th Pay Commission report.

The BJP leaders realised that voters in Tripura are essentially pro-Left and many had intellectual affinity to Marxism and thus the BJP leaders worked hard to break the umbilical cord between the voters and pro-Marxist intellectualism.

UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath hailed the verdict in northeast especially in Tripura as "historic".

"This mandate is crucial and a big encouragement for BJP workers across the country," Mr Adityanath said.

The UP Chief Minister had also campaigned aggressively during the elections.