INDIAN communists met the chief election commissioner today to demand postponement of a vote in Tripura state amid widespread violence following a right-wing poll victory by the ruling BJP party.

The election in the 19-Charilam constituency for the Tripura state assembly had to be delayed following the death of the Communist Party of India — Marxist (CPI-M) candidate. It is scheduled to take place on Monday.

But the CPI-M said, that since the announcement of assembly results last Saturday, the BJP “has let loose a reign of terror and violence against the CPI-M and the Left Front,” the coalition it leads in Tripura.

“Eleven offices of the CPI-M and the RSP [Revolutionary Socialist Party] have been either set on fire or ransacked, 58 houses of leaders of the party and workers have been attacked and looted and 19 of our workers have been physically assaulted and injured so far.

“The situation is such that not a single booth office of the party in the constituency remains intact. Even the district committee offices of the CPI-M and the RSP at Bishramganj have been occupied, with the police not doing anything to prevent it.”