Tripura civic polls: BJP, Tipra Motha to contest together under NDA

The BJP and its ally Tipra Motha Party will fight the upcoming urban local body (ULB) elections in Tripura jointly under the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) banner, senior BJP leader and minister Ratan Lal Nath said in Agartala on Sunday, November 1.

The decision came out of a meeting between leaders of the two parties at the State Guest House. Polling for 21 urban bodies, including the Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC), is scheduled for November 27, with counting on December 2.

Who was at the table

Nath and BJP state general secretary Bipin Debbarma represented the BJP. Tipra Motha sent Minister of State Brishaketu Debbarma, MLAs Ranjit Debbarma and Abhishek Dutta, former TTAADC Chief Executive Member Purna Chandra Jamatia and Prashanta Sinha, according to reports in India Today NE, Northeast Live and Tripura Times.

Nath described the talks as cordial and said the aim was for every NDA partner to contest the civic polls together, as the two parties had done in the recent TTAADC village committee elections. The specific proposals Tipra Motha placed before the BJP will be examined at the party level, and a final decision on seat-sharing is expected by Monday night, he said.

Eight AMC seats sought

Ranjit Debbarma told reporters the party would ask for eight of the 51 seats in the Agartala Municipal Corporation, and a bigger share in other municipal councils and nagar panchayats, Northeast Live reported. He said Tipra Motha wants seats where it has a strong base, including some Muslim-majority localities, and that the question of chairperson posts would be taken up only after the results.

Clarity on ward-wise allocation is likely after a BJP meeting on Monday, and the allies have also discussed coordinating nomination filing so that their candidates file in step, Tripura Times reported. Party sources quoted by Tripurainfo said the BJP's own candidate list, delayed from earlier in the week, may be released on November 2.

Tiprasa Accord still pending

Brishaketu Debbarma said Tipra Motha still hopes the tripartite Tiprasa Accord, signed by the Centre, the state government and the party in March 2024, will be implemented soon. Asked about missed timelines, he said the party would keep waiting for the Centre to keep its word and that the final call on the party's course rests with founder Pradyot Kishore Debbarma.

CM warns on poll violence

Separately on Sunday, Chief Minister Manik Saha said those behind the recent violence in Khayerpur and Kamalpur would face action regardless of political affiliation, Tripura Times reported. In Kamalpur, the CPI(M) has alleged that five of its leaders and supporters were attacked while going to file nominations; in Khayerpur, a BJP worker was reportedly targeted in a firing incident and police arrested a Congress leader. Saha said BJP workers had been told not to obstruct opposition campaigning and that no one would get political protection.