AGARTALA, SEPTEMBER 8: Power and Agriculture Minister Ratan Lal Nath has predicted a decisive performance by the BJP-led NDA in Tripura’s upcoming Village Committee elections, claiming that the alliance could win between 90 and 95 per cent of the seats.
Nath said the BJP, Tipra Motha and IPFT would enter the contest with a coordinated strategy and seek to consolidate their position across the state’s rural and tribal areas.
Elections are scheduled in 52 of Tripura’s 58 blocks, covering 587 villages and 4,597 seats. Describing the polls as a large and complex exercise, Nath said the alliance partners had been working to resolve differences over seat-sharing and field candidates jointly.
He said the agreement between the three parties was based largely on their respective performances in the previous Autonomous District Council elections. According to Nath, discussions held in Delhi with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister Manik Saha helped the partners reach an understanding on the contentious issues.
The talks, he said, continued for nearly 10 to 12 hours, following which local leaders were instructed to settle remaining disagreements through discussions.
Nath said the alliance would not rely solely on broader political issues during the campaign. Instead, candidates would highlight concerns such as drinking water, roads and access to government welfare programmes.
Seat adjustments between BJP and Tipra Motha could also be made in constituencies where the two parties have differing levels of organisational strength. Nath said discussions were underway in places such as Kalyanpur and Raima Valley.
Pointing to the state’s recent electoral history, Nath argued that traditional political strongholds had undergone significant changes. He particularly referred to the tribal Assembly constituencies, claiming that the CPI(M) failed to win any of the 20 seats in both the 2018 and 2023 Assembly elections.
The minister also raised the issue of nomination procedures, urging the State Election Commission to allow candidates who reach nomination centres before the deadline to complete the filing process even if the formalities continue beyond 8 or 10 p.m.
Nath dismissed CPI(M) allegations about difficulties faced by candidates during the nomination process and alleged that the Left party was withdrawing from sections of the contest because it expected limited electoral gains.
With nominations and seat-sharing arrangements becoming central to the pre-poll preparations, Nath maintained that the BJP-led alliance was in a strong position to dominate the Village Committee elections.
