Agartala, August 9: The ruling BJP is set to resume discussions with its tribal allies, the Tipra Motha Party (TMP) and the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT), to jointly contest the crucial village committee elections under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC).
A BJP leader revealed that following directives from the central leadership, state leaders are working on a strategy to fight the elections for the village committees, which are equivalent to gram panchayats.
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha will travel to New Delhi on Sunday evening to meet TMP leaders in the presence of central BJP officials. This important meeting is expected to take place either on Sunday night or Monday. TMP leaders, including party chief Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma, are currently stationed in Delhi.
Chief Minister Saha stated to reporters, “We will discuss the upcoming village committee elections with TMP leaders in the presence of our central leaders. At this moment, I cannot provide details about potential joint contests in meetings or elections.”
He also mentioned that his government is always open to dialogue regarding the issues, problems, and demands of surrendering militants. “I am personally willing to talk to the leaders of surrendering militants. Our officials are in contact with them. We are always concerned about the issues and problems of all stakeholders,” he added.
The elections for 587 village committees and over 20 urban local bodies under the TTAADC are scheduled for this year. In the TTAADC elections held on April 12, the Tipra Motha Party achieved a significant victory, winning 24 out of 28 elected seats.
The BJP managed to secure only four seats. Due to a lack of agreement, the BJP and its two allied parties, TMP and IPFT, contested separately. Since 2021, TMP has been operating this strategically vital council, regarded as the second most important constitutional and political institution in Tripura after the state assembly.
A senior BJP leader in Tripura stated, “Central leaders have instructed state leaders to activate the party further and strengthen the organization ahead of the important village committee and urban local body elections.”
He noted that central leaders have also sought feedback from state leaders regarding the functioning of the party organization and its status before the upcoming village committee and urban local body elections.
The meeting held in the national capital on August 6 included BJP National President Nitin Naveen, National General Secretary (Organization) B.L. Santosh, Northeast Coordinator Sambit Patra, and the party observer for Tripura, Rajdeep Roy, who is a current MLA from Silchar and a former Lok Sabha member from Southern Assam. A total of 14 senior leaders from Tripura, including all members of the party’s core committee, participated in these meetings at the party headquarters.
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