Agartala, June 22: As the Panchayat and Village Council elections approach, the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT), a BJP alliance partner, is making efforts to regain its lost foothold, particularly in Tripura’s hilly regions.
The party saw a significant decline in support during the previous assembly elections, losing ground to the TIPRA Motha party. The TIPRA Motha, led by royal scion Pradyot Kishore Debbarma, captured the attention of tribal voters by championing the demand for a separate state, “Greater Tipraland,” a concept that extended beyond IPFT’s original “Tipraland” demand.
At a state conference of the IPFT core committee held at the Dasarath Deb auditorium in Suparibagan, Agartala, IPFT state president and former Tribal Welfare Minister Prem Kumar Reang addressed reporters.
He announced that the party plans to visit Delhi in August to press the central government on their primary demand for a separate tribal state, Tipraland, encompassing areas under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC).
Reang highlighted that the day’s discussions would focus on the current political landscape in Tripura and the IPFT’s positioning within it.
He emphasized the need to strategize for the upcoming Panchayat and Village Council elections. Despite recent setbacks, Reang asserted that the IPFT maintains a robust presence in the hilly regions, supported by 33 active division communities.
IPFT, which had eight MLAs in 2018 reduced to single MLA in 2023 assembly election with the growth of TIPRA Motha which became the main Opposition party and later became NDA partner in TIPRA with two ministers in the BJP led Manik Saha cabinet.
The conference underscored the IPFT’s determination to reclaim its influence and address the aspirations of its tribal constituency, amidst a competitive political environment shaped by TIPRA Motha’s rising prominence.
