Tripura Minister says NDA aims to deny opponents vote in Village Committee Polls

Tripura Power Minister Ratan Lal Nath on September 22 said the NDA partners in the state would jointly contest the upcoming Village Committee elections and urged voters to reject parties that, in his view, oppose the alliance and the state's development agenda.

Nath made the remarks while chairing a meeting of NDA partners BJP, Tipra Motha and IPFT at Manu Dak Bungalow in Dhalai district to review preparations for the Village Committee elections.

“Our main intention is that those who are against the NDA alliance, that is, those who are against the people, against the people of the state, and those who do not want the development of the state, should not get a single seat or a single vote,” Nath said.

He described the Village Committee election as important as it is being held after a gap of around 10 years. He also pointed out that, unlike recent elections conducted through electronic voting machines, the Village Committee polls will be conducted using ballot papers.

Nath said Village Committee and Panchayat elections involve grassroots-level electoral processes and require detailed organisational planning.

He said the BJP, Tipra Motha and IPFT had decided to contest the Village Committee elections together, despite having fought separately in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) election.

“We have decided to fight jointly,” Nath said, adding that the three parties are partners in the state government.

The minister said the meeting was also aimed at reviewing issues arising from seat-sharing arrangements in different areas and addressing organisational gaps.

Referring to political opponents, Nath said the alliance would seek to defeat parties that oppose the NDA, including the Congress and CPI(M).

He said the three parties differed from political ideologies centred on capitalism or communism and claimed that the NDA's focus was on development reaching the last person.

The Village Committee elections are significant for Tripura's tribal areas, with the polls being held after a prolonged gap. The NDA partners are now coordinating their organisational and electoral strategies ahead of the contest.