Ahead of the September 28 Village Committee elections in Tripura’s tribal areas, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is engaged in intensive seat‑sharing negotiations with its two tribal allies, the Tipra Motha Party (TMP) and the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT). The talks have raised uncertainty about whether the three parties will contest the polls as a united front.
The BJP remains optimistic about reaching an electoral understanding, but both the TMP and IPFT are pressing for a larger allocation of seats and the full implementation of the tripartite agreement signed earlier this year, which addresses land rights for indigenous tribals. TMP supremo Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma warned in a video message that his party would not join an alliance unless the agreement’s provisions are honoured.
The TMP entered a tripartite pact with the Centre and the Tripura government on March 2, 2024, in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister Manik Saha. Five days later the party, which holds 13 legislative seats, joined the BJP‑led coalition, and two of its MLAs, Animesh Debbarma and Brishaketu Debbarma, were inducted into the state ministry. State BJP President Abhishek Debroy said the party is prepared to contest all Village Committee seats if an agreement with the TMP does not materialise.
Election officials will poll 4,597 seats across 2,634 constituencies in 587 Village Committees—structures comparable to Gram Panchayats in non‑autonomous areas—marking the first such contest in a decade. Five senior BJP leaders, including National General Secretary B.L. Santhosh and Northeast coordinator Sambit Patra, arrived in Agartala to coordinate campaign strategies with state leaders.
Despite preparations, the alliance remains in flux as differences over the Tripartite Agreement’s implementation, particularly concerning indigenous land rights, persist. Central observer Rajdeep Roy indicated that talks are ongoing and that final decisions will be communicated in due course.
