Tripura Congress going the West Bengal way

CALCUTTA, August 21: Tripura seems to be going the West Bengal way, with the Tripura Congress heading for a certain split following largescale desertions from the party in favour of the Trinamul Congress. Buoyed by the developments, Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has already staked her claim on Tripura West seat, in which she plans to put up former Tripura chief minister and veteran state Congress leader Sudhir Ranjan Mazumder as her party candidate. Mazumder has already quit the Congress to join the Trinamul Congress. Banerjee said talks were under way with the central leadership of the BJP on the question of giving the Tripura West seat to Mazumder. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which fought both the Tripura East and West seats in the last election, had decided to contest the two Lok Sabha seats in Tripura this time as well. Banerjee felt it would be politically wiser if a formidable candidate like Mazumder was allowed to contest from Tripura West seat this time, in view of the former chief minister's political status, clean image and his sway over the electorate of Tripura. She was hopeful that the BJP leadership would keep her request in the overall political interest of Tripura, where the Communist Party of India (Marxist) remains the major opponent. Both the Lok Sabha seats in the state were won convincingly by the CPI(M) in 1998.