Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha is scheduled to speak at two significant election gatherings in Kerala on Thursday as part of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) campaign for the state’s upcoming 140-member Assembly elections. Saha, who left for Bengaluru on Wednesday, arrived in Kannur on Thursday morning. He is set to address an election convention at Chandragiri Auditorium in support of BJP candidate Prasanth Malavayal from the Kalpetta Assembly constituency.
Continuing his campaign, the Chief Minister will also speak at another election convention at Town Junction in the Dharmadam Assembly constituency in support of BJP candidate K. Renith. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is seeking re-election from this same constituency. A BJP leader in Agartala highlighted that this visit signifies a significant effort by the BJP leadership to motivate party workers and engage with voters in these crucial constituencies in Kerala.
The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is contesting all 140 Assembly seats in Kerala, with polling set for April 9. The BJP is fielding candidates in 99 constituencies, while its allies are contesting the remaining seats. In the 2016 Assembly elections, the BJP won the Nemom constituency in Thiruvananthapuram district, marking its entry into Kerala’s political landscape. However, the party lost the seat in the 2021 Assembly elections. Notably, in the 2021 polls, the BJP secured the second position in nine constituencies, indicating pockets of increasing support.
After completing his campaign in Kerala, CM Saha is expected to return to Agartala on Friday to lead the BJP’s campaign for the upcoming elections to the 30-member Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) and the by-election to the Dharmanagar Assembly seat in North Tripura district. The TTAADC elections are slated for April 12, while the Dharmanagar Assembly by-election will take place on April 9. Previously, Chief Minister Saha, along with several senior BJP leaders from Tripura, including state party president Rajib Bhattacharjee, actively participated in the campaign for the West Bengal Assembly elections. The West Bengal Assembly elections will be conducted in two phases, with polling on April 23 for 152 seats and on April 29 for the remaining 142 seats.
