Agartala, June 25: With the crucial Village Committee elections in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) scheduled later this year, Tripura Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha on Thursday indicated that discussions are underway among NDA allies, including the BJP and the TIPRA Motha Party, regarding the possibility of contesting the polls jointly.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the “Samvidhan Hatya Diwas” programme at Nazrul Kalakshetra in Agartala, organised to commemorate the dark days of the Emergency imposed in 1975, Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha said the BJP and its alliance partners are holding consultations on electoral arrangements. He said a final decision would be taken after discussions at the appropriate level.
“Such situations have arisen earlier as well. In Tripura, alliance partners have contested elections against each other in the past and there have also been friendly contests. This time, since they are our alliance partners, they are talking to us and we are also talking to them,” the Chief Minister said.
He, however, made it clear that the final decision would depend on consultations among the leadership of the alliance partners and guidance from the central leadership.
“There are certain guardianship issues and leadership-level discussions involved. Decisions will be taken after all concerned leaders hold talks. Only then will I be able to say what the final arrangement will be for the upcoming elections,” he added.
The remarks assume significance as relations between the BJP and its ally, the TIPRA Motha Party, came under scrutiny after the two parties contested separately in the recent TTAADC elections, where the BJP suffered a setback. Political observers view the forthcoming Village Committee elections as a key test for the ruling alliance’s strength in the tribal areas ahead of future electoral battles.
Earlier in the day, Dr. Saha in his address strongly criticised the Congress over the Emergency imposed in 1975.
He said the younger generation must be educated about what the BJP describes as one of the darkest chapters in India’s democratic history.
The Chief Minister alongwith state BJP president Abhishek Deb Roy, Minister Tinku Roy and other leaders also visited a photo exhibition organised by the BJP to mark the anniversary of the Emergency, observed by the party as “Samvidhan Hatya Diwas”, and viewed photographs and documents depicting events from the period of Emergency imposed under former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
