Agartala, Mar 1 (IANS): Voters of Tripura have given "a befitting reply" to critics of Left parties, Chief Minister Manik Sarkar said Thursday.
"After the electoral debacle of Left parties in West Bengal and Kerala in 2011, people who say Left has lost its relevance or significance nationally fear us. People of Tripura gave a befitting reply to the critics," Sarkar told reporters.
"The priorities of the seventh Left Front government will be to continue the developmental schemes, maintain peace and undertake more pro-people schemes."
On Thursday, the Communist Party of India-Marxist bagged 49 of the 60 seats while its ally Communist Party of India won one seat. The Congress finished with only 10 seats.
It was the best result for the Left since 1978 when the legendary Nripen Chakraborty-led CPI-M swept 56 seats. This time, Sarkar helped the Left Front increase its 2008 tally by one seat.
The Congress, after accepting the verdict, said it would be a constructive opposition party.
"We found from the results that emotion and ambitions have no role in politics. We must have a disciplined organisation to get success in electoral battle," party spokesman Ashok Sinha told reporters.
He said the party would play the role of a responsible opposition party for the next five years.
"We will analyse the result. The result is unexpected," Congress leader Gopal Roy told IANS.