Kalyani Roy Labels Independent Panchayat Candidates as Enemies of Society

Senior BJP leader Kalyani Roy called Independent candidates in Tripura's panchayat elections enemies of society, targeting CPI(M) and Congress members. Roy highlighted enthusiastic voter participation and questioned the independence of opposition candidates. Opposition leader Jitendra Chaudhry responded, demanding a list of candidates benefiting from the government.

Senior BJP leader Kalyani Roy on Thursday branded the Independent candidates running for the panchayat elections in Tripura as 'enemies of society'.

The remarks, made by Roy, the government's chief whip in the assembly, were directed at CPI(M) and Congress members contesting the elections as Independent candidates.

'The voters are enthusiastic about the elections. They are coming out and voting spontaneously. No chaos has been reported in the Teliamura subdivision. We are seeing overwhelming support from the people,' she noted.

Roy accused the Independent candidates of being against development and societal progress.

'In a democracy, opposition exists, and Independents are part of that opposition. However, the state has no history of Independents winning elections,' she commented.

'Those who rely on government benefits and then contest against the government are being called 'Mir Jafar' by the populace,' she added.

Opposition leader Jitendra Chaudhry of the CPI(M) demanded Roy publish a list of such candidates.

'If the list is published, the public will know who benefits from the government,' he said.

Polling for the three-tier panchayat system in the state was underway.

(With inputs from agencies.)