Agartala, Feb 05: Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will hit the campaign trail in Tripura this week.
TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee is to visit Tripura on Monday to campaign for assembly polls. She will perform a puja at Maa Tripura Sundari temple on February 6 & participate in a pad yatra in Agartala on February 7.
Tripura will see a multi-cornered contest, with the ruling BJP tying up with the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT), an old ally. The Left, which ruled the state for 25 years at a stretch before the BJP came to power in 2018, has formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress.
Also Read: TMC releases election manifesto for Tripura assembly polls
The parties that have gone solo are the Trinamool Congress and the Tipra Motha, which is headed by the erstwhile royal scion Pradyot Manikya Debbarma. Both these parties say defeating the BJP is their priority.
Trinamool’s Tripura chief Pijush Kanti Biswas, along with Bengal’s Education Minister Bratya Basu, Industries and WCD Minister Shashi Panja, Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev, and former Trinamool MLA and Minister, and state-in-charge, Rajib Banerjee, addressed the media on Sunday to release the party’s manifesto.
The Trinamool Congress released its first list of 22 candidates last Sunday. The party’s state in-charge Rajib Banerjee said they are “fully prepared” for the elections.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah will also be in Tripura on Monday. He will address two election rallies in Khowai district, and Santirbazar in the South Tripura district. The Union Minister will also join a road show in Agartala city on Monday.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath are also scheduled to arrive in Tripura on February 7 for the party’s election campaign.
The last date for filing nominations is January 30. Polling will be held on February 16, and counting will take place on March 2.
The BJP bagged 36 out of the total 60 seats in the 2018 assembly elections, while its ally IPFT won eight.
