Congress to go alone in Tripura tribal council polls as BJP, TMP hold talks

Even as the BJP continues discussions with its ally, the Tipra Motha Party (TMP), to finalise a seat-sharing arrangement, the opposition Congress on Sunday announced that it will contest the upcoming tribal council elections independently.

Polling for the 30-member Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) is scheduled for April 12, with counting of votes on April 17.

Leaders from both the BJP and TMP said the party’s central leadership has been holding a series of meetings in New Delhi over the past few days to work out a seat-sharing formula. TMP leader and MLA Ranjit Debbarma said party supremo Pradyot Kishore Debbarma is engaged in discussions with BJP leaders in the national capital to finalize the arrangement.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party also has another ally, the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT), a tribal-based party that is reportedly seeking a larger share of seats compared to the 2021 TTAADC elections.

Meanwhile, Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee president Ashish Kumar Saha said the party would go it alone in the April 12 polls. “The Congress will field candidates in all TTAADC seats. However, if any like-minded party is interested in a seat-sharing agreement, they are welcome,” Saha told reporters after a meeting with tribal leaders.

He said the party’s campaign would focus on the socio-economic development of tribal communities, alleging that tribal-inhabited areas have remained neglected for years.

The Adivasi Congress, the party’s tribal wing, has been working on the election strategy for the past two months, and the list of candidates will be announced soon, Saha added.

According to him, key issues for the Congress would include direct central funding to the TTAADC, introduction of the Roman script for the Kokborok language, and approval of the TTAADC Empowerment Bill (125th Constitutional Amendment).

Congress Working Committee member and former minister Sudip Roy Barman said indigenous communities have experienced governance under the CPI(M)-led Left Front and the TMP, but have not yet given the Congress an opportunity. He said the Congress-led central government had earlier played a role in the formation of the TTAADC in 1984 and in increasing the number of tribal-reserved seats in the Tripura Assembly from 17 to 20.

Meanwhile, most candidates of the CPI(M)-led Left Front have already filed their nominations and begun campaigning for the autonomous council elections. The last date for filing nominations is March 25.

In the 2021 TTAADC elections, the BJP contested 11 seats and won nine, while a BJP-supported Independent candidate also secured victory. The TMP won 18 seats and took control of the council from the Left Front.

The council covers nearly two-thirds of Tripura’s 10,491 sq km area and is home to over 12.16 lakh people, around 84 per cent of whom belong to indigenous communities. The TTAADC comprises 28 elected members and two nominated by the state government.