<p>Political parties Friday welcomed the Election Commission's announcement of holding elections to the 60-seat Tripura assembly in February.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Tripura's ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) spokesperson Gautam Das said: "The Congress has tried to delay elections aiming promulgation of president's rule in the state."<br /><br />"The Congress is scared of assembly elections as it would suffer a humiliating defeat. That's why the party wants to come to power through the back door as it did in 1988," Das told reporters after the EC's announcement in New Delhi.<br /><br />Demanding appropriate actions against terrorists, Das said: "Before every elections in Tripura, separatist outfits have stepped up violent activities. The extremists work in favour of the Congress."<br /><br />The CPI-M and other Left parties had earlier demanded assembly elections in Tripura in mid-February.<br /><br />The main opposition Congress strongly denied the CPI-M's charges.<br />"We have always demanded assembly election on time," Congress leader Ratan Lal Nath told IANS over phone from New Delhi. "We welcome the EC's announcement to hold elections in Tripura."<br /><br />Tripura, the country's sole Left-ruled state, will go to the polls Feb 14 to elect its new state assembly. Meghalaya and Nagaland will have polling Feb 23.<br /><br />Results of all three states' assembly polls will be announced Feb 28, Chief Election Commissioner V.S. Sampath announced in New Delhi Friday.<br /><br />The assemblies in Meghalaya, Tripura and Nagaland have 60 seats each. Their five-year terms expire March 10, March 16 and March 26 respectively.<br /><br />The final electoral rolls of Tripura will be published Saturday after about a four-month-long summary revision of the voters list.<br /></p>
<p>Political parties Friday welcomed the Election Commission's announcement of holding elections to the 60-seat Tripura assembly in February.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Tripura's ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) spokesperson Gautam Das said: "The Congress has tried to delay elections aiming promulgation of president's rule in the state."<br /><br />"The Congress is scared of assembly elections as it would suffer a humiliating defeat. That's why the party wants to come to power through the back door as it did in 1988," Das told reporters after the EC's announcement in New Delhi.<br /><br />Demanding appropriate actions against terrorists, Das said: "Before every elections in Tripura, separatist outfits have stepped up violent activities. The extremists work in favour of the Congress."<br /><br />The CPI-M and other Left parties had earlier demanded assembly elections in Tripura in mid-February.<br /><br />The main opposition Congress strongly denied the CPI-M's charges.<br />"We have always demanded assembly election on time," Congress leader Ratan Lal Nath told IANS over phone from New Delhi. "We welcome the EC's announcement to hold elections in Tripura."<br /><br />Tripura, the country's sole Left-ruled state, will go to the polls Feb 14 to elect its new state assembly. Meghalaya and Nagaland will have polling Feb 23.<br /><br />Results of all three states' assembly polls will be announced Feb 28, Chief Election Commissioner V.S. Sampath announced in New Delhi Friday.<br /><br />The assemblies in Meghalaya, Tripura and Nagaland have 60 seats each. Their five-year terms expire March 10, March 16 and March 26 respectively.<br /><br />The final electoral rolls of Tripura will be published Saturday after about a four-month-long summary revision of the voters list.<br /></p>