BJP, allies will retain power in Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya: Assam CM

Agartala, Nov 7 (IANS) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Monday that the BJP and its allies would retain power in Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya, which go to the polls next year.

Addressing the 'Booth Vijay Abhiyan' here, senior BJP leader Sarma said that after the BJP-led government came to power at the Centre and in various states in the northeastern region, actual development of the area began.

"Since 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited the northeastern region 60 times. No other Prime Minister of India had any vision for the northeast. There are five Central ministers from the northeastern region in the Modi cabinet now," he said.

The Assam Chief Minister said that in 2018, BJP-IPFT (Indigenous People's Front of Tripura) secured 44 seats in the 60-member Tripura Assembly, and in the upcoming polls, the alliance would get at least 55 seats.

He said that massive development of information technology took place in Tripura, as he pointed at the Forensic University campus, the National Law University, huge expansion of railway networks, one of the biggest airports in Agartala etc.

Sarma also said that CPI-M and Congress may join hands before the elections, but the BJP is not afraid of that possibility.

Even if all the other parties come together ahead of the polls, nobody would be able to defeat the BJP, he said.

Ridiculing the Left parties, Sarma said: "The Tripura BJP has so many leaders to lead the party. But people do not know who the CPI-M leader in Tripura is. The party governed the state for so many years, but did nothing for Tripura."

Later, Sarma tweeted: "Overwhelmed with the huge turnout of BJP Tripura karyakartas at launch of 'Booth Vijay Abhiyan' at Agartala. Spirited, they bring rare energy. It's an opportunity for all of us to build a new Tripura through Jan Bhagidari as envisioned by Adarniya PM Shri Narendra Modi ji."

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha, former Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, state BJP President Rajib Bhattacharjee, the party's northeast coordinator Sambit Patra, Central minister from Tripura Pratima Bhowmik and several central party observers attended the event.

The ruling BJP has kicked off its electoral activities much ahead of the Assembly polls, expected to be held in less than four months' time.

BJP President J.P. Nadda had visited Tripura in August and during his two-day tour, he held a series of meetings with the leaders at all levels besides addressing a public rally.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was supposed to visit Tripura on October 27 to "rejuvenate" the BJP, but his tour was cancelled due to "unknown reasons".