Cong may forge alliance with TMC in Tripura

AGARTALA: Up against a resurgent BJP, the Congress in Tripura is seeking to turn its fortunes in collaboration with a party that destroyed it in the first place – Trinamool Congress (TMC).

It is also eyeing a Bihar-like grand alliance with regional parties to taken on the state’s ruling Left Front as well as the BJP.

Election to the 60-member Tripura assembly is scheduled in February next year. The Congress used to be the main opposition party since 1993 when the Left Front rule began, first under chief minister Dasarath Deb and then under Manik Sarkar. But six of its legislators joined TMC last year, while another joined the CPI(M) only to join the BJP later.

The six TMC legislators headed by Sudip Roy Barman, too, joined BJP on August 7, reducing the number of Congress MLAs in the assembly to three. Ratan Nath, one of the three MLAs, is expected to join BJP after having voted for Ramnath Kovind during the presidential poll in July.

“The Congress is weighing a grand alliance with TMC and indigenous political parties ahead of the assembly election to check both the communists and BJP. We hope to talk soon in this regard,” Congress Legislature Party chief Gopal Roy told HT.

State Congress vice-president Tapas Dey said the “desertion” of six MLAs will not affect its poll prospects but an alliance with other like-minded parties “makes us that much stronger”.

Bulldozed by the BJP in the past six months, the TMC has been on revamp mode. It replaced senior party leader Mukul Roy with Sabyasachi Datta as the party’s Tripura in charge.

Datta did not spell out plan but indicated his party was not averse to an alliance. “We believe our party is the alternative to CPI(M) in Tripura. We are drawing up a new strategy, while strengthening the party at the grassroots level,” he said.

A senior TMC leader, on condition of anonymity, said the departure of the six MLAs could be a boon in disguise for the party to forge friendship against “communal forces” as well as the communists.

“Our party can rebuild better with the black sheep gone,” he said.