Agartala, Sep 3 (PTI) The Tripura Pradesh Congress on Sunday urged people to vote for opposition bloc INDIA candidates in the Dhanpur and Boxangar assembly bypolls.
The bypolls are scheduled on September 5.
"The party's rank and file will have to strengthen the organisation as only the Congress can keep the country united. Now, the party is giving a lead at national politics. We must work hard to connect the organisation with the masses," Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman said while speaking at a meeting of Sonamura district Congress committee in the poll-bound subdivision in Sepahijala district.
Referring to Congress working president Billal Miah's switching over to BJP days before the bypolls, Roy Barman said Billal wanted to contest as the party candidate from Boxanagar.
"When he (Billal) told me about his aspiration to contest from Boxangar with CPI(M) support, I told him that CPI(M) candidate Samsul Haque won the election just five-and-a-half months ago. It will not be wise for the Congress to put up a candidate in the seat. After three days, he joined the BJP. I wish him luck," he said.
Recently, Chief Minister Manik Saha welcomed Billal Miah along with 8,000 voters to the BJP.
Roy Barman appealed to people to vote for Haque as the Congress did not field a candidate. The CPI(M), part of the INDIA alliance, is contesting in both Assembly seats while the main opposition party, Tipra Motha, has opted out of the election process.
Earlier, the Congress had organised a rally where 209 voters of BJP and Trinamool Congress joined the party and vowed to work for it.
On Saturday, Tripura Yuba Trinamool Congress vice-president Nil Kamal Saha along with another leader joined the Congress in presence of PCC president Asish Kumar Saha at the Congress headquarters.