Agartala, May 9 :     Having achieved its objective of ensuring victory for the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura in the recent Autonomous District Council elections, the outlawed National Liberation Front of Tripura has begun releasing the hostages it had blackmailed Left Front candidates with, prior to the elections. Police sources said Parbati Reang, wife of CPI leader Manindra Reang, returned home yesterday after nearly a month in captivity. Manindra Reang contested and won the Birchandranagar-Kalsi seat in South Tripura despite his wife's abduction from Bagafa on April 9. Parbati Reang had reportedly begun refusing food and become weak, forcing her captors to set her free. Another person to be released yesterday was 68-year-old Sarbajay Reang, the abducted father of the CPM candidate for the Damcherra-Jampui seat, Rajendra Reang. Hari Debbarma, father of the CPM candidate for the Mandai-Pulinpur seat, also returned home unhurt. Two other abducted CPM workers from the Jampui area -Manindra Reang and Jankaia Reang - were freed over the past 24 hours. However, Left leader Mangal Debbarma's wife and infant son are yet to be released. Drabir Tripura, the abducted brother of CPM candidate for the Karamcherra seat, Gajendra Tripura, is still in captivity. Mangal Debbarma went into hiding a couple of days before the elections and announced his withdrawal from the poll fray. However, none of the other leaders whose relatives were abducted bowed to the militants' demands. NLFT militants had abducted altogether eight relatives of Left candidates. Council formation: The Indigenous People's Front of Tripura today sought the Governor's permission to form the new Autonomous District Council. 'Since the Governor is in New Delhi, we met his aides and handed over a letter,' said party general secretary Harinath Debbarma. He said the IPFT delegation also met chief executive officer of the district council, M. Nagarju, at Khumlung. 'The chairman of the council will be elected on Friday and the swearing-in ceremony is slated for May 19,' Debbarma said. CPM worried The CPM leadership is concerned over the erosion of the party's base in the tribal areas, evident from the debacle in the district council elections. The Indigenous People's Front of Tripura won 18 of the 28 elective seats, leaving the CPM with only 10 seats. The CPM leadership feels tribal leader Dasarath Deb's death in October 1998 and veteran politician Nripen Chakraborty's expulsion three years earlier were the major reasons behind the party's fall from grace. The Gana Mukti Parishad, the Tribal Students' Union and the Tribal Youth Federation - all organisations affiliated to the CPM - have also become virtually non-functional. Sources in the CPM said most state committee members were critical of the party leadership for its failure to assess the situation before advancing the elections by three months. The members opined that steps should have been taken to keep militant outfits in check before announcing the polls. 'It is not clear who is in power here, the IPFT or the Left Front,' a state committee member said.