Agartala, March 9 The Left Front announced its candidates for 27 out of the 30 seats of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) on Friday.
Two candidates will be selected by Governor N. Indrasena Reddy.
Along with the TTAADC candidates, the Left Front also announced its nominee for the Dharmanagar Assembly by-election, which was caused by the death of Biswa Bandhu Sen in December.
Elections for the tribal council and the Dharmanagar Assembly by-election in North Tripura have not yet been announced.
Unveiling the candidates, Left Front convener Manik Dey said, "Out of the 27 candidates, 20 are new faces contesting the tribal council elections, while CPI(M) state secretariat member Amitabh Datta will contest the Dharmanagar by-election." The party has yet to name its candidate for one seat.
He appealed to the electors to vote for the Left Front candidates to restore democracy in the tribal council, which has been facing severe crisis due to corruption.
CPI(M) state secretary Jitendra Chaudhury said the TTAADC was established to protect the interests of indigenous people who were oppressed during the Mankiya dynasty rule.
He added, "It is not the CPI(M) or the Left Front, but Chief Minister Manik Saha himself who alleged that corruption is rampant at Khumulwng (headquarters of TTAADC). Utilization certificates are not being submitted to the state government. In fact, our allegations of corruption in the tribal council have been substantiated by the CM."
Regarding Congress' claim of contesting the Dharmanagar by-election, Chaudhury said the party has not yet discussed the issue with the party.
"Under special circumstances, the Left Front had forged an electoral understanding with the Congress for the 2023 Assembly and 2024 Lok Sabha elections. It is not wise to relate one election with another electoral battle," he added.
However, the CPI(M) politburo member underlined the need to have a common platform among the secular forces to safeguard democracy.