Khumulwng, Nov 10: In a significant political development in Tripura, the BJP and its former electoral rival TIPRA Motha on Tuesday formally came together to constitute an expanded executive committee of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), marking the beginning of an NDA arrangement in the tribal council.
The development comes nearly seven months after the two parties contested the TTAADC elections separately, with TIPRA Motha securing a decisive victory by winning 24 of the 28 elected seats, while the BJP won the remaining four.
Seven new executive members, including six from TIPRA Motha and one from the BJP, were sworn in at a ceremony held at Khumulwng in the presence of Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha, TIPRA Motha founder Pradyot Kishore Debbarma, Tribal Welfare Minister Bikash Debbarma and BJP MP Kriti Devi Singh.
The six TIPRA Motha representatives who took oath were Kamal Kalai, Rajeshwar Debbarma, Kenaram Reang, Debajit Tripura, Hollywood Chakma and David Murasing. Kongjong Mog was sworn in as the BJP representative.
With their induction, the total strength of the TTAADC executive committee has risen to nine, including Chief Executive Member (CEM) Runiel Debbarma and the existing Executive Member (EM) C K Jamatia.
Addressing the gathering, Chief Minister Saha stressed the need for closer coordination between the state government and the TTAADC, saying that both must work together for the overall development of Tripura.
He emphasised greater dialogue between the state administration and the council’s executive committee and called for financial accountability in governance.
Saha also underlined that development of the state would require collective efforts, including development of the district council areas.
Pradyot Kishore Debbarma, who had earlier announced his intention to withdraw from active politics, urged the government to work towards the all-round development of both tribal and non-tribal communities.
He described the emerging coordination between the Centre, the state government and the TTAADC as an important development for the advancement of tribal people.
The expanded executive committee signals a major shift in Tripura’s tribal politics, bringing together two parties that had fought against each other in the April council elections.
The new arrangement is also politically significant against the backdrop of ongoing efforts to implement the tripartite agreement signed in March 2024 involving the Centre, the Tripura government and TIPRA Motha.
