Agartala, Sep 08: Seat-sharing arrangements and coordination among the BJP, Tipra Motha and IPFT have emerged as key elements of the NDA’s preparations for the upcoming Village Committee elections in Tripura, Power and Agriculture Minister Ratan Lal Nath said on Monday.
Nath said the three parties had decided to fight the elections together and were working to settle constituency-level differences through discussions. The alliance is expected to focus its campaign largely on local development concerns rather than wider political issues.
The Village Committee elections will cover 52 of the state’s 58 blocks, involving 587 villages and 4,597 seats. Nath said the scale of the electoral exercise required effective coordination between the alliance partners.
According to Nath, the seat-sharing formula has been worked out after considering the parties’ performances in the previous Autonomous District Council elections. He said discussions in Delhi involving Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Chief Minister Manik Saha and Tipra Motha representatives helped the alliance reach an understanding on the broader arrangement.
The discussions lasted around 10 to 12 hours, Nath said, adding that local leaders were subsequently asked to resolve constituency-level disagreements through dialogue.
He said the BJP and Tipra Motha could make adjustments in constituencies where their respective organisational strengths differ. Discussions were reportedly continuing in areas such as Kalyanpur and Raima Valley.
Nath said the alliance would seek votes by highlighting issues that directly affect villagers, including drinking water supply, road connectivity and access to welfare schemes.
At the same time, the minister expressed confidence in the electoral prospects of the NDA partners, predicting that they could collectively secure 90 to 95 per cent of the seats.
Referring to Tripura’s recent electoral trends, Nath said political equations had changed considerably in areas that were once regarded as strongholds of the Left. He pointed to the 20 tribal Assembly constituencies, claiming that the CPI(M) had failed to win any seat there in the 2018 and 2023 Assembly elections.
The minister also urged the State Election Commission to ensure that candidates reaching nomination centres before the stipulated deadline are permitted to complete the filing process, even if procedural formalities continue beyond the scheduled closing time.
Nath rejected CPI(M) complaints over nomination difficulties and alleged that the party was avoiding parts of the contest due to weak electoral prospects.
With nominations underway and constituency-level negotiations continuing, the NDA partners are now seeking to convert their broader understanding into a coordinated campaign across Tripura’s rural and tribal areas.
