BJP, Tipra Motha likely to hold Delhi talks over TTAADC village council polls alliance

The Tipra Motha Party (TMP) is likely to hold talks with the BJP’s central leadership in Delhi next week over a possible electoral understanding for the upcoming elections to the village committees of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), a party MLA said on Wednesday, September 2.

Elections to 587 village committees, comprising 4,599 seats, are scheduled to be held on September 28, with counting of votes set for October 5.

TMP MLA Ranjit Debbarma said there was no meeting between the party and visiting BJP national general secretary (organisation) BL Santosh or the party’s Northeast coordinator Sambit Patra during their visit to Tripura.

However, he said a meeting between the two parties is likely to take place in Delhi before September 8, the last date for filing nomination papers.

Santosh, who arrived in Tripura on a two-day visit to review the BJP’s preparations for the village council elections, met Chief Minister Manik Saha, state BJP president Abhishek Debbarma and former state party president Rajib Bhattacharjee on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Santosh held another meeting with Saha, the state BJP president, ministers, MLAs and senior party leaders at the BJP state headquarters to finalise the party’s electoral strategy.

Meanwhile, Debbarma said TMP MLAs and members of the district council have been asked to begin the process of selecting candidates for all 4,599 seats.

The party’s election committee, headed by general secretary Brishaketu Debbarma, met on Tuesday and decided that the TMP would contest the village committee elections independently if an alliance with the BJP does not materialise.

“We have asked our MLAs and MDCs to start the process of selecting candidates for all 4,599 seats. The party is also prepared to contest the elections alone if an alliance does not materialise,” Ranjit Debbarma said.