AGARTALA, Jan 25? Congress released its candidate list for 42 constituencies out of total 60 list Friday night after three months long brainstorming meetings and discussions in New Delhi and Agartala. And with the announcement, as it was anticipated, serious reactions sparked off in various constituents as rival factions of the nominated candidates express their resentment through protest march. There were also reports of crude bombs going off and putting the Congress offices under lock and key by agitated party workers. There were more than 245 aspirants belonging to various groups. As several rounds of talks among the top party functionaries in the presence of Manmohan Singh and AICC incharge of Tripura, Manishankar Aiyer, failed to break the impasse, the agonized party workers waited in a baited breath. At last it was party president Sonia Gandhi who had to intervene and settle the list.
The list was announced in New Delhi by the AICC while PCC president Birajit Sinha held a press conference in Agartala. The list accommodated all the 12 sitting Congress MLAs and also an Independent candidate who had been supporting the party for the last five years. There are altogether 11 new faces in the list which also included six women candidates. Significantly, the Congress contrary to all speculations did not include three strong contenders of the party, former Minister Ratan Chakrabarty, former Agartala Municipal Council chairman Ashish Saha and youth leader Subal Bhaumik. All of them had returned from Trinamul Congress recently. Party sources say they were victims of ?internal squabble of the party leaders?. However, former Chief Minister Sudhir Ranjan Majumdar who had also returned to his old party from Trinamul Congress bagged nomination. But instead of his home constituency, Bordwali, he was placed from Sonaura seat.
The party also fielded two tribal candidates ? Ashok Debbarma and Nirupama Chakma? from Golaghati and Pecharthal constituencies. These two seats were left to the Congress by its ally INPT. ?The AICC considered the wining prospects and other qualities for nominating the candidates,? said PCC president Birajit Sinha. He also agreed that there was a difference of opinions among the party leaders in selecting the candidates. Sinha who himself leads a faction, however, glossed over the question as to whether he was ?satisfied? with the list. ?AICC takes the decision and as true Congressmen we always abide by it,? Sinha said, and added that all will now fight the misrule of the Left Front unitedly. ?We shall release our poll manifesto in the first week of February,? he said. The PCC president has informed that Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are likely to address at least four public rallies in the state sometime after February 12.
Meanwhile, protests from the agitated workers over denial of their leaders were reported from various parts of the State. A section of party workers staged violent protest in front of Congress Bhawan at Post Office Choumuhani in the capital Friday night itself. As the situation was turning worse, police rushed in and a picket had to be set up in front of the Congress Bhawan to avert any untoward incident. Most volatile are the Banamanlipur, Town Bordwali, Sonamura and Khayerpur constituencies in West district where followers of the aspirants who were denied of nominations brought out a protest march. For example, as soon as the All India Radio broadcast the names of the candidates, followers of Ratan Chakrabarty brought out a procession, saying that they would not allow Gopal Roy to stand from the constituency.
There are reports of simmering resentment among the supporters of Mahitosh Saha too. In Khayerpur, resentment runs strong in the wake of Lakshmi Nag?s nomination to this seat. By and large, Congress workers were expecting either senior leader Jitendra Das or Ratan Ghosh would be fielded in this seat. The Congress office was closed down by the agitating workers.
Similar was the condition in Town Bordwali where there was a strong demand for former AMC chairperson Ashish Saha?s nomination instead of sitting Congress MLA Ashok Bhattacharjee. In Sonamura seat, it was almost certain that Subal Bhoumik would be fielded for the fact that he lost last elections by a margin of about 600 votes but nursed the constituency for the last five years. After Sudhir Ranjan Majumdar?s name was announced from the seat, Bhowmick workers closed the party office. Protests were also staged in front of some leaders residences and in some cases crude bombs exploded to express the fury of party workers.