Over 5,000 voters join BJP ahead of Tripura district council polls

More than 5,000 voters from Tripura’s tribal areas have joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a move seen as politically significant ahead of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) elections scheduled for 2026.

Party leaders said 5,050 voters from 1,706 families joined the BJP at a programme organised by the state unit. The event was coordinated by BJP general secretary Bipin Debbarma.

Chief Minister Manik Saha, addressing the gathering, accused the CPI(M) of reducing indigenous communities to “a ballot box” during its long period in power. He said the BJP followed a different approach, describing it as “a party that works for the people”.

Referring to the Left’s past electoral dominance, Saha said the communists “used to start counting from 20 in Assembly elections” because they believed those seats were assured. “But now the communists are scared,” he said, claiming that political awareness among tribal voters had increased.

The chief minister also spoke of unity, using the term ‘Thansa’, which he said represented togetherness among “jati, janajati, Manipuri and minority communities”. Through this unity, he said, the party aimed to build a “new Tripura”.

Saha said those who joined the BJP had taken “the right decision at the right time” and expressed confidence about the party’s prospects in the forthcoming TTAADC elections. “When the bell rings for the TTAADC elections, a bigger meeting than today will be held in Khumulwng,” he said, indicating plans for large-scale mobilisation.

The programme was attended by BJP state president Rajib Bhattacharya and several ministers, including Santana Chakma, Sushant Chowdhury, Tinku Roy, Sudhangshu Das and Bikas Debbarma, along with MLAs and senior party leaders.

The 2026 TTAADC elections are expected to play a key role in shaping political alignments in Tripura’s tribal regions.