Agartala, Feb 18 : Campaigning for the forthcoming Tripura Assembly elections, Congress party President Sonia Gandhi here today slammed the Communist Party India-Marxist (CPI-M)-led Government for failing on various fronts in the State.

Criticising the CPI-M led Government, Sonia Gandhi said that the Centre is giving adequate funds to the State, but development in Tripura did not take place as it should have been.

She said Rupees 500 crores sanctioned by the Centre has not be utilised by the Tripura government.

Sonia Gandhi, who was on a day-long visit to the State, held two election rallies in Agartala and another at Dharmanagar, about 200 km from here.

She said the Left's support to the UPA was a compulsion for keeping away fundamentalist forces, like the NDA, from coming to power, but it did not mean that the Congress would leave the CPI-M in the election fray in Tripura.

In all 313 candidates, including 28 women aspirants, are in the fray to elect the 60-member State Assembly.

The ruling CPI-M has fielded 56 candidates, while its allies - the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) - have put up two candidates each.

The main opposition Congress has nominated 48 candidates and allotted 11 seats to its tribal-based ally, the INPT. One seat has been left for the Party for Democratic Socialism (PDS), a local party formed by breakaway leaders of the CPI-M.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded 49 candidates and allotted 11 seats to its new electoral partner, the United Democratic Front (UDF), a party formed by disgruntled tribal leaders of different political parties.

The All India Trinamool Congress, which nominated 21 candidates, has entered into an alliance with the Lok Janashakti Party (LJP). By Pinaki Das

ANI