New Delhi/Agartala, Sep 4 (IANS) Ahead of the September 28 Village Committee elections in Tripura’s tribal areas, a crucial meeting was held in New Delhi on Friday in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, with Chief Minister Manik Saha describing the discussions as “fruitful and constructive”.

Besides HM Shah and Saha, BJP’s Northeast coordinator and Lok Sabha member from Puri, Sambit Patra, and Tipra Motha Party (TMP) supremo Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma were also present at the meeting.

After the meeting, the Tripura Chief Miniser in a social media post said: “Met Hon’ble Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah Ji in New Delhi today. During the meeting, Founder of Tipra Motha Party Maharaja Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma Ji and BJP North East Coordinator Dr. Sambit Patra Ji were also present.” “We had a fruitful and constructive discussion on matters of mutual importance and the development and welfare of the people of Tripura,” Saha said without elabourating the decision of the meeting.

Earlier several inconclusive discussions were held in Tripura between the BJP leaders and their ally TMP about the alliance in the upcoming Village Committee elections within Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) areas.

TMP supremo Debbarma on Wednesday (September 2), in a video message, categorically said that his party would not enter into any electoral alliance if the provisions of the tripartite agreement, particularly those concerning land rights of indigenous tribals, are not implemented.

After prolonged negotiations, the TMP, then in the opposition, signed a tripartite agreement with the Centre and the Tripura government on March 2, 2024, in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister Manik Saha. Subsequently, the TMP, which has 13 MLAs, joined the BJP-led coalition government on March 7, 2024, adding a new dimension to the state’s political dynamics.

Five central BJP leaders — National General Secretary (Organisation) B.L. Santhosh, the party’s Northeast coordinator Sambit Patra, Northeast Co-Coordinator Rajiv Babbar, central observers Rajdeep Roy and G.R. Rabindra Raju — arrived in Agartala earlier this week and held a series of meetings with state leaders over two days (September 1 and 2) to discuss preparations and strategies for the Village Committee elections.

Chief Minister Manik Saha, state BJP President Abhishek Debroy, former Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, former state President and Rajya Sabha member Rajib Bhattacharjee, senior ministers including Ratan Lal Nath and other senior party leaders attended the meetings.

Politically important elections to 4,597 seats in 2,634 constituencies in 587 Village Committees — equivalent to Gram Panchayats in the non-TTAADC areas — will be held on September 28 after a gap of 10 years.

Since 2021, the politically important TTAADC has been governed by the TMP, led by Debbarma, a former royal scion.

In the April 12 TTAADC elections, the TMP won 24 of the 28 elected seats, while the BJP secured only four.

The council administers nearly two-thirds of Tripura’s total geographical area of 10,491 square km and is home to more than 12.16 lakh people, of whom nearly 84 per cent belong to indigenous tribal communities.

The TTAADC is considered the second most important constitutional and political body in Tripura after the 60-member Tripura Legislative Assembly.

–IANS

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