A day after the Tripura assembly election results were declared, efforts were on to form the first BJP-led government in one of India's last Left strongholds on Sunday.
"BJP Parliamentary Board on Saturday appointed Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and Jual Oram as central observers. They are likely to meet the newly-elected MLAs on Tuesday to ascertain their views on government formation and to elect legislature group leader," Bharatiya Janata Party Tripura Pradesh President Biplab Kumar Deb told the media.
"The BJP ministry in Tripura would likely to assume office within this week. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party President Amit Shah and many central leaders are likely to be present during the swearing-in ceremony, date of which would be finalised after getting the Prime Minister's schedule," he said.
Deb refused to name the probable Chief Ministerial candidate of the BJP.
"The party would decide everything," he added.
According to the BJP leader, a combined meeting of the newly elected legislators of the BJP and its ally -- the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) -- would also be held on Tuesday to discuss the government formation.
Many BJP leaders in the state said that Tripura Pradesh President Biplab Kumar Deb is the most favoured leader for the post of Chief Minister.
Deb, who defeated the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) nominee and the party's youth leader Amal Chakraborty in the Banamalipur constituency by a margin of 9,549 votes, won the electoral battle in his maiden attempt.
The BJP-IPFT coalition swept the February 18 polls, the results of which were declared on Saturday, winning 43 of the 59 seats for which elections were held.
The BJP secured 35 seats in the 60-member assembly while its ally IPFT, a tribal based party, won eight seats.
Elections were held for 59 seats and countermanded in one (tribal reserve Charilam seat) following the death of a CPI-M candidate a week before the polls.
"BJP leaders would try to accommodate women, tribal, schedule caste and youth leaders in its ministry. Regional representation would also be kept in mind," a BJP leader told IANS.
Earlier on Sunday, Chief Minister Manik Sarkar tendered his resignation to Governor Tathagata Roy, who asked him to continue in office till the next Chief Minister takes over.
"I have submitted my resignation to the Governor and he asked me to continue in office until the new Chief Minister took over the charge," Sarkar told the media after putting in his papers.
The CPI-M alleged that at least two people including a woman were killed and around 300 injured in attacks by rival party workers at more than a hundred places across Tripura since Saturday after the declaration of the poll results.
"BJP workers armed with lathis, sharp weapons and crude bombs attacked many CPI-M party offices, houses belonging to Left party supporters, small shops in more than 100 places across Tripura.
A woman and a youth were killed in Jirania areas of western Tripura and around 300 injured throughout the state after the rival party workers attacked them.
"Many of the injured were admitted to the hospital," CPI-M leader Haripada Das told the media.
He said that a delegation led by the CPI-M's west Tripura District Secretary Pabitra Kar and Lok Sabha Member Sankar Prasad Datta met Director General of Police Akhil Kumar Shukla and apprised him about the "large-scale post-poll violence across the state by BJP members."
"We have asked the DGP to take adequate security measures all over the state to stop the post-poll violence," Kar told reporters.
--IANS
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