AGARTALA, SEPTEMBER 8: The BJP-led NDA is seeking to translate its alliance arrangement into a broad electoral advantage in Tripura’s upcoming Village Committee elections, with Power and Agriculture Minister Ratan Lal Nath projecting that the three-party combine could win 90 to 95 per cent of the seats.
The BJP, Tipra Motha and IPFT have agreed to contest the elections together, according to Nath, who said the partners were coordinating their strategies while addressing constituency-level differences through negotiations.
The polls assume significance for the alliance as they will cover 587 villages across 52 blocks, involving 4,597 seats. Nath said the parties had taken into account their respective performances in the previous Autonomous District Council elections while working out the seat-sharing arrangement.
The alliance understanding was also discussed during meetings in Delhi involving Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Chief Minister Manik Saha and Tipra Motha leaders, Nath said. He described the discussions as positive and said they continued for around 10 to 12 hours before a broader agreement was reached.
While the larger seat-sharing framework has been settled, local-level adjustments remain possible. Nath said BJP and Tipra Motha leaders could exchange seats in constituencies depending on their organisational position, with discussions taking place in Kalyanpur and Raima Valley.
The minister said the alliance would seek to keep the campaign centred on issues affecting villagers. Drinking water, roads and delivery of welfare schemes are expected to feature prominently in the campaign rather than broader state or national political questions.
Nath also pointed to what he described as a shift in Tripura’s electoral landscape. Referring particularly to the tribal areas, he claimed that the CPI(M) had failed to win any of the state’s 20 tribal Assembly constituencies in both the 2018 and 2023 elections.
The minister’s remarks came amid preparations for the nomination process. He appealed to the State Election Commission to ensure that candidates who reach nomination centres before the deadline are allowed to complete the formalities even if the process continues beyond the scheduled closing hours.
Nath rejected CPI(M) allegations regarding nomination-related difficulties and alleged that the Left party was reluctant to contest in some areas because of its assessment of its electoral prospects.
With the NDA partners working to finalise local seat adjustments, the immediate challenge for the alliance is to maintain coordination among its three constituents while presenting a common campaign before voters across the rural and tribal belts of Tripura.
