In the Kailashahar Assembly constituency of Unakoti district of Tripura, another Gram Panchayat has slid out of the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) hands amidst reports of escalating internal party friction. Just days after BJP State President Abhishek Debroy concluded a Unakoti district tour and held a series of organizational meetings, the loss of the BJP-led Gram Panchayat in Kailashahar has raised significant political questions.
The 9-seat Nurpur Gram Panchayat under the Gournagar Block in Kailashahar was previously held by the BJP. In the 2024 three-tier Panchayat elections, the BJP secured 5 seats, Congress won 3 seats, and the CPIM won 1 seat. Shortly after the BJP formed the administration, opposition members raised allegations of corruption against the Panchayat Pradhan. A coalition was formed comprising three Congress members, one CPIM member, and one dissenting member from the BJP, who together brought forward a no-confidence motion that stripped the BJP of its majority. Following this, CPIM and Congress assumed joint responsibility for running the Panchayat, initially appointing a temporary Pradhan from the CPIM.
On Wednesday afternoon, August 5, the election process for a permanent Pradhan was conducted under strict supervision by the Kailashahar police and central security forces. The voting concluded peacefully with all 9 elected members present. Selima Begum of the CPIM was elected as the new Pradhan in the presence of the presiding officer and other administrative officials.
Following the announcement, Congress and CPIM supporters celebrated the outcome across the area with firecrackers and slogans. Moving forward, the Gram Panchayat will be governed jointly by Congress and the CPIM. Political observers note that despite top-level interventions and repeated leader meetings to address internal factionalism; local discontent within the party structure continues to impact the political dynamics in Kailashahar.