Tripura BJP holds core committee meet to discuss Dharmanagar by-poll, ADC elections

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in Tripura on March 12 held a core committee meeting at the state party office in Agartala to deliberate on the upcoming by-election to the Dharmanagar Assembly constituency, the polls to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), and other organisational matters including the selection of the next Speaker.

The Dharmanagar Assembly seat fell vacant following the demise of Speaker Biswabandhu Sen in February this year.

The meeting was attended by Chief Minister Manik Saha, state BJP president and MP Rajib Bhattacharya, former MPs Rebati Tripura and Pratima Bhoumik, ministers Ratan Lal Nath and Pranajit Singha Roy, party in-charge Rajdeep Roy, and BJP state general secretaries Bipin Debbarma and Bhagaban Das.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Chief Minister Manik Saha said the party discussed preparations for the upcoming elections and prepared a list of probable candidates. He said deliberations were held on several names and the final list would be sent to the party’s central leadership for a decision.

“The by-election for the Dharmanagar Assembly constituency and the election to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council are approaching. In the meeting we discussed preparing a list of probable candidates and our political strategy. Many names have come up and we will send the list to the Centre, which will take the final decision,” Saha said.

On the issue of contesting the elections with alliance partners, the chief minister said that both Tipra Motha Party and Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) remain alliance partners of the BJP and there is no confusion regarding the alliance.

He said that while the BJP has proposed contesting all 28 seats in the TTAADC election, the final decision on seat-sharing and alliance arrangements will be taken by the party’s central leadership.