Tripura council poll: no alliance call yet by BJP, ally IPFT keen on tie-up

Ahead of the crucial Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) poll, the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT), an ally of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, has constituted a five-member team to firm up the alliance equation.

The move comes close on the heels of a statement by Chief Minister Manik Saha, who hinted at independently contesting the election to the tribal district council. Mr. Saha said the BJP aims to win all 28 seats, emphasising that only a national party can deliver sustained development for the tribal communities.

The TTAADC has a total of 30 seats. Of these, 28 seats are filled through direct election while two members are nominated by the Governor. The IPFT has been in alliance with the BJP since 2018. It, however, didn’t win a single seat in the 2021 TTAADC poll, in which the TIPRA Motha Party won 18, the BJP nine, and an Independent bagged one seat.

The IPFT delegation is likely to leave for Delhi soon to meet senior BJP leaders. “We also have other issues [to discuss] like the TTAADC’s empowerment, extension of opportunities for tribal people and preservation of rights,” IPFT general secretary Swapan Debbarma said.