The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies are preparing to contest the upcoming Village Committee elections under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), with the ruling alliance hoping to strengthen its position among the state’s tribal voters.
The BJP is set to contest the polls in alliance with TIPRA Motha and the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT). The elections are significant for the BJP as tribal communities account for around 30% of Tripura’s electorate and 20 of the state’s 60 Assembly seats are reserved for Scheduled Tribes.
The alliance comes at a time when the Tripura government has announced that the Tripura Accord will be implemented in a time-bound manner within a month. BJP leaders believe the announcement could help improve the party’s standing among tribal communities.
The Accord was signed in March 2024 between the Union government, the Tripura government and TIPRA Motha. It focuses on protecting the political, land and economic rights of Tripura’s indigenous population.
TIPRA Motha chief Pradyot Kishore Debbarman welcomed the government's announcement but stressed that the move should not be viewed through an electoral lens. He described it as a victory for the indigenous people of Tripura and the wider Northeast.
The BJP is keen to maintain its alliance with TIPRA Motha, which has significant influence in the tribal areas. Party leaders said differences between the BJP and its allies over issues including the Tripura Accord had been addressed, with the alliance also viewed as important ahead of the 2028 Assembly elections.
The Village Committee elections are particularly important because they are being held after a gap of nearly a decade. Debbarman had approached the Supreme Court seeking directions for holding the elections.
BJP leaders also highlighted the party-led government's handling of the Bru refugee issue. In 2020, the Union government, along with the governments of Tripura and Mizoram and representatives of the Bru community, signed an agreement aimed at permanently rehabilitating more than 34,000 refugees in Tripura. A package of over ₹600 crore was sanctioned for their rehabilitation.
The BJP, which is seeking to retain power in Tripura, believes cooperation with its tribal allies will be crucial for maintaining its political momentum in the state.
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