Kolkata: Outgoing Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar was gracious in defeat as he welcomed the people’s mandate and said he would analyse the poll results before coming to a conclusion.
Sarkar, talking to News18 over the phone on Sunday morning, said, “The results came in just yesterday. We will have to go into details before coming to a conclusion.”
He further brushed off questions about the results and when asked about his role and responsibility under the new government, said, “My work will not be confined to Tripura alone. I will continue to work for the poorest of the poor. I will continue to raise issues which would enable the poor in Tripura to stand on their feet.”
On allegations of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) fraud taking place, the CPI(M) leader said he didn’t wish to comment on it but he did say that the BJP used "money and muscle power" to win the elections.
On Saturday, during the counting of votes, it became clear that the BJP and its alliance partner, the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT), had defeated the CPI(M), thus ending the Left Front’s 25-year rule in Tripura.
The BJP-IPFT combine managed to secure 43 seats in the 60-member Assembly, elections for which were held on February 18.
Manik Sarkar has been serving as the chief minister of Tripura since March 1998.
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