Tipra Motha storms back to power in Tripura tribal council, wins 24 of 28 seats

AGARTALA: The Pradyot Debbarma-led Tipra Motha Party (TMP) on Friday registered a landslide victory in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) polls, winning 24 of the 28 seats, according to the State Election Commission (SEC).

The BJP bagged the rest of the four seats, while the CPI(M) and Congress failed to win a single seat for a second straight time.

The BJP and the TMP are allies and run the state government together, but the two parties separately fought the elections to the council, which administers around 70 per cent of Tripura's geographical area and is home to nearly 15 lakh people.

The second consecutive win for the Tipra Motha Party, floated in 2020 by the former royal scion, with the demand for a 'Greater Tipraland', showed its dominance among the state's tribal community.

"The elections were held for 28 seats, and two members of the council are nominated by the governor. The TMP won 24 seats while the BJP secured four," said Bipul Barman, officer on special duty in the State Election Commission.

Reacting to the results, Debbarma said the victory has enhanced his party's responsibility.

"Love has won over hate. I urge those who have won to work for the 'dofa' (community), the state and the country. Ordinary people do extraordinary work. I appeal to everyone that for our 'dofa' and the next generation, there should be no violence in our small state," he said in a social media post.

Senior BJP leader and state minister Ratan Lal Nath conceded defeat, stating, "I had said the scope was thin (for the BJP) if electors voted on emotive issues. BJP is the choice if people want to vote for development."

Polling was held on April 12 and recorded a voter turnout of 83.50 per cent, higher than the 81 per cent registered in the 2021 elections. A total of 173 candidates were in the fray.

In the 2021 TTAADC elections, the TMP had won 18 seats with a vote share of 46.70 per cent. The BJP, with 29.30 per cent of the votes, had won nine seats.