Agartala, September 12 (Daily Kiran) : In Agartala, significant developments are unfolding ahead of the village committee elections scheduled for September 28 in Tripura’s tribal areas. The ruling coalition has gained a notable advantage, with the TIPRA Motha Party (TMP) winning approximately 34% of the total seats uncontested. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has secured around 2% of the seats without competition.
According to an official from the Tripura State Election Commission, candidates from the TIPRA Motha Party have been elected unopposed in 1,557 of the 4,597 seats across 587 village committees within the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) region, accounting for about 33.87% of the total.
The BJP also achieved uncontested victories in 81 seats, which is about 1.76% of the total. Following the conclusion of the nomination withdrawal process, a total of 1,069 candidates from various parties, including TIPRA Motha, BJP, and CPI(M), have withdrawn their nominations. This leaves 9,820 candidates still in the race.
Among these, TIPRA Motha has the highest number of candidates with 4,279, followed by CPI(M) with 2,151, BJP with 1,853, Congress with 425, and the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) with 356 candidates. Independent candidates and others add to the mix, with three from CPI.
The Election Commission previously announced that elections for 4,597 seats across 2,634 electoral constituencies within the 587 village committees would take place after a decade. These committees function similarly to village councils outside the TTAADC areas.
The ruling BJP is contesting alongside its tribal allies, TIPRA Motha and IPFT, while the opposition comprises the CPI(M)-led Left Front and Congress.
However, reports of violence and unrest have emerged from various districts in the state. Senior IPFT leader and minister Shukla Charan Notia accused TIPRA Motha supporters of launching a “brutal attack” on the party’s general secretary, Swapna Debbarma, on September 8 in the Hejamara area of Khowai district.
Notia stated that Debbarma was assaulted while traveling to Khowai village, which he claimed undermines the coalition’s unity. He urged all party workers and supporters to maintain peace and cooperate in ensuring a democratic electoral process.
CPI(M) and Congress have also alleged that their candidates faced attacks, threats, and other obstructions, preventing them from filing nominations in several constituencies. Manik Dey, coordinator of the Left Front and a former minister, mentioned that they have lodged complaints with the Election Commission, demanding appropriate action, but no significant measures to curb violence have been observed so far.
As these allegations and counterclaims unfold, all eyes are now on the upcoming voting and the subsequent results on September 28.
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