The Left Front on Saturday decided to withdraw the Communist Party of India (Marxist) candidate for the Charilam Assembly seat in Tripura citing the ongoing violence in the constituency, for which it blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party, The Indian Express reported. The BJP formed its first ever government in Tripura on March 3.

The polling in the 19-Charilam Assembly constituency was postponed to March 12 after CPI(M) candidate Ramendra Narayan Debbarma died of a cardiac arrest while campaigning. The Left Front’s new candidate was Palash Debbarma, while the BJP fielded Jishnu Debbarma, who is the new deputy chief minister.

CPI(M) spokesperson Gautam Das said the party’s decision came after a meeting of the Tripura Left Front Committee.

State party secretary Bijan Dhar wrote a letter to the chief electoral officer and said that the CPI(M) had decided to withdraw their candidate as the poll monitor did not consider their appeal to postpone the election till normalcy returned to Charilam.

Dhar reminded the poll body about the alleged ransacking, looting and arson against 11 offices belonging to the CPI(M) and the Revolutionary Socialist Party. He also alleged that 58 houses belonging to CPI(M) and other Left Front leaders had been attacked, ransacked and looted.

Dhar said that Palash Debbarma, the Left Front candidate, was unable to enter the constituency even with security cover, due to the prevailing conditions.