New Delhi [India] Mar. 05 (ABP Live): Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has come in defense of Left party after its crushing defeat in recently held Tripura state assembly election. With this, the citadel of left remained only in Kerala.

"Left has to be strong in India, the demise of Left will be a disaster for India.We are political rivals but I am the first to say that India can't afford demise of the Left. The Left also has to change its mind, people's aspirations and society are changing," Ramesh said, reported ANI.

Interestingly, terming its drubbing in the Tripura assembly polls as temporary, the ruling CPI(M) in Kerala on Sunday alleged that BJP's victory in that state was due to the influence of their power at the Centre.

CPI(M) state secretary Kodeyeri Balakrishnan said at Kannur that there would be victory and defeat in elections in a democracy, reported PTI.

Meanwhile, Manik Sarkar who served as the Chief Minister of Tripura from March 1998 to March 2018, submitted his resignation on Sunday.

 Image: ANI

In a saffron surge in the northeast, the BJP put up a magnificent show in Tripura on Saturday, ending 25 years of the Left rule.

Though the BJP secured a majority on its own in Tripura, winning 35 seats, Amit Shah told a press conference in the national capital that it would form the government with ally Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), which won eight seats, reported PTI.

The CPI(M)-led Left Front could manage to win only 16 seats.