AGARTALA, SEPTEMBER 8: The BJP-led NDA in Tripura will approach the upcoming Village Committee elections as a united alliance, with development issues at the local level expected to form the centre of its campaign, Power and Agriculture Minister Ratan Lal Nath said on Monday.
Nath said the alliance comprising the BJP, Tipra Motha and IPFT was confident of securing between 90 and 95 per cent of the seats in the elections. He maintained that changing political preferences in the state had shown that no constituency could be treated as a permanent stronghold.
The Village Committee polls will be held across 52 of Tripura’s 58 blocks, covering 587 villages and 4,597 seats. Nath said the scale of the elections made coordination among alliance partners essential.
According to the minister, the NDA partners have agreed to contest the elections jointly rather than functioning as separate political entities. Seat-sharing was worked out taking into account the results of the previous elections to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council, he said.
Nath said discussions involving Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Chief Minister Manik Saha and representatives of Tipra Motha in Delhi helped address differences over seat-sharing. He said the discussions continued for around 10 to 12 hours before an understanding was reached, with local leaders asked to settle outstanding issues through dialogue.
He said the alliance would focus its campaign on issues directly affecting villagers, including drinking water, roads and implementation of welfare schemes. In constituencies where both BJP and Tipra Motha have organisational strength, the partners could exchange seats based on local considerations, he said.
Talks on such adjustments are already taking place in areas including Kalyanpur and Raima Valley, Nath added.
The minister also referred to the changing electoral landscape in Tripura, particularly in the tribal areas. He claimed that the CPI(M) had failed to win a seat in the state’s 20 tribal Assembly constituencies in both the 2018 and 2023 elections, describing it as an indication of the decline of the Left’s traditional influence.
Nath further appealed to the State Election Commission to ensure that candidates who reach nomination centres before the deadline are allowed to complete the filing process even if scrutiny extends beyond the prescribed evening hours.
He rejected CPI(M) allegations regarding difficulties in filing nominations, alleging that the opposition party was staying away from parts of the contest because of limited electoral prospects.
With the three alliance partners preparing to campaign together, Nath said the NDA was positioned to make a strong showing in the Village Committee elections and consolidate its political presence at the grassroots level.
