BJP sweeps Tripura civic polls with 217 seats, TMC bites dust with one seat

The elections were also seen as an indicator of the future of the BJP-rule in Tripura as Trinamool Congress is trying to gain a foothold in the state along side other states like Goa, Bihar, Meghalaya to shed its tag of a regional power and emerge as a national party.

After the final results were declared by the Election Commission, of the 334 total seats -- including AMC with 51 wards, 13 municipal councils, and six nagar panchayats -- the BJP has won 329, having been elected unopposed in 112 seats earlier.

CPI-M won three seats while TMC and Pradyot Deb Barma-led TIPRA Motha have won one seat each, it said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the state unit of the BJP. "I would like to applaud the @BJP4Tripura Karyakartas who worked tirelessly on the ground and served people. Under the leadership of Shri Biplab Deb Ji, the State Government has been at the forefront of many initiatives, which the people have duly blessed," he tweeted.

"The people of Tripura have given a clear message - that they prefer politics of good governance. I would like to thank them for their unequivocal support to @BJP4Tripura. These blessings give us greater strength to work for the welfare of each and every person in Tripura," read another tweet.

CPI-M won one seat each in Ambassa Nagar Panchayat in Dhalai District,  Panisagar Nagar Panchayat in North district,  and Kailashahar Municipal Coucil in Unakoti district. The Trinamool won one seat in Ambasa while Tipra Motha has got one seat in the same area.

With all 51 wards going to the BJP, the Agartala Municipal Corporation will have no opposition.

The Trinamool, however, called its performance "just the beginning". "It is exceptional for a party beginning with negligible presence to successfully contest municipal elections and emerge as the PRINCIPAL OPPOSITION in the state with more than 20% vote share," tweeted Trinamool's Abhishek Banerjee.

"This is despite the fact that we commenced our activities barely 3 months ago and @BJP4Tripura left no stone unturned to BUTCHER DEMOCRACY in Tripura," another tweet from him read.

The party had alleged that the elections were "heavily rigged and reduced to a farce" by the ruling BJP and demanded that the elections be declared invalid. The CPM also demanded the same in five wards of AMC.

BJP thanked people of Tripura for big victory.

The elections to the civic bodies took place on November 25 for 222 seats amid heavy security. Thousands of personnel from the Tripura State Rifles and central paramilitary forces were deployed in sensitive areas where the counting centres are located.