Agartala, April 12: Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is scheduled to address an election rally and participate in a roadshow in Agartala on April 16, a party leader said on Friday. The April 16 event would be the INDIA bloc's first major Lok Sabha poll campaign event in Tripura.

Congress Working Committee (CWC) member and former minister Sudip Roy Barman said that they were not getting sufficient vehicles to transport party supporters from far-flung areas of the state as vehicles were booked already by other parties. Priyanka Gandhi Lists INDIA Bloc’s Five Demands; Urges Election Commission To Ensure Level-Playing Field in Lok Sabha Elections 2024.

"In view of the transportation related problems, we are unable to organise a big gathering in Agartala where Priyanka Gandhi can address the people. But she would address a small gathering in Agartala during the roadshow," he told the mediapersons. Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's proposed election rally in Agartala on April 17, Roy Barman said that he was confident that "sufficient vehicles" would be available for the ruling BJP on that day.

"The ruling side always has an advantage. We had enquired, but several vehicles were booked for campaigning. Often, they (transport operators) return advance money even after taking orders for vehicles," said Roy Barman, a sitting Congress MLA. Lok Sabha Election 2024: Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Among Congress’ 40 Star Campaigners for Uttarakhand To Woo Voters.

Meanwhile, the Congress leader compared the 2024 Lok Sabha elections with 'Dharmayuddha', saying 'dharma' and 'nyay' would eventually triumph. In a multi-cornered contest, Tripura unit Congress chief Asish Kumar Saha is contesting in the Tripura West Lok Sabha seat against former Tripura Chief Minister and BJP candidate Biplab Kumar Deb.

Meanwhile, Tripura's erstwhile Manikya royal family’s scion Kriti Singh Debbarma is contesting from Tripura East (ST) constituency as BJP candidate against former CPI-M MLA and Left nominee Rajendra Reang. Both Saha and Reang are INDIA bloc nominees. The Tripura West and Tripura East Lok Sabha seats would be undergoing polling in two phases -- on April 19 and April 26, respectively.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 12, 2024 11:37 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).