Agartala, Oct 4 :
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Sunday expressed confidence that the BJP-led NDA will win more than 90 per cent of the seats in the state’s village council elections, while asserting that ending the legacy of poll-related violence remains a major challenge for his government.
The counting of votes for the Village Committee (VC) elections to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) is scheduled for Monday. The elections, held after nearly a decade, are significant as they are the first major grassroots electoral test for the ruling alliance ahead of the 2028 Assembly polls.
“The biggest challenge is to come out of this kind of environment,” Saha told reporters after inaugurating a new RCC ward office building of Agartala Municipal Corporation at Pratapgarh.
Referring to violence incidents reported during the VC elections, Saha said there were only a few isolated incidents and that investigations into them were underway.
“The investigation is going on. Apart from one or two incidents, there were no major incidents,” he said.
Saha said preventing violence during elections and maintaining peace after the results would be a key responsibility for the government.
He described election-related violence and post-poll unrest as a longstanding challenge in Tripura, saying the state needed to move away from such a political environment.
“The kind of situation that has been continuing for a long time… coming out of such an environment is a challenging task,” he said.
The Chief Minister also expressed confidence about the electoral performance of the NDA, comprising the BJP, Tipra Motha and the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT), saying the alliance would secure more than 90 per cent of the VC seats.
The VC polls were held on September 28 across the tribal council area. The results are expected to provide an important indication of the grassroots political balance in the tribal belt, particularly ahead of the 2028 Assembly election.
The elections assume added significance for the ruling alliance following the BJP’s alliance with Tipra Motha and IPFT and amid efforts to implement the Tiprasa Accord signed between the Centre, the state government and Tipra Motha.
