AGARTALA, Sept 11: Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Thursday expressed confidence that the BJP-Tipra Motha-IPFT alliance would emerge victorious in the upcoming Village Committee (VC) elections under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC).
The elections are scheduled for September 28 across 587 Village Committees, covering 2,634 constituencies and 4,597 seats.
The nomination process began on September 1, with September 8 being the last date for filing nominations. Scrutiny was held on September 9, while candidates could withdraw their nominations until September 11.
Saha said seat-sharing discussions had been held at both the state and grassroots levels and that the three parties had decided to contest the elections together as NDA alliance partners.
“We have held alliance talks. The alliance partners also held talks in Delhi. BJP never leaves its alliance partners. But this time, for the Village Committee elections, talks were held for the alliance and we have decided that the NDA alliance, which is BJP-Tipra Motha-IPFT, together will contest the VC polls,” Saha said.
He said a committee had been formed to finalise the seat-sharing arrangement and discussions were continuing. Meetings were also held as recently as Wednesday night, he added.
Saha said the exact number of seats to be contested by each alliance partner would become clear after the withdrawal process ended on Thursday.
“This is not a matter of worry,” he said, maintaining that the alliance was well placed ahead of the elections.
The Chief Minister said the alliance partners had maintained a “peaceful and beautiful environment” during the seat-sharing discussions.
“A committee from both sides was formed and meetings were held on seat sharing, and this time the NDA alliance will win the Village Committee elections,” he said.
On joint campaigning, Saha said there was no issue with the alliance partners campaigning together, although the committee overseeing the seat-sharing arrangement would take the final decision.
The Village Committee elections are being closely watched as a key local-level contest in Tripura’s tribal areas, with the BJP, Tipra Motha and IPFT seeking to coordinate their electoral strategies under the NDA banner.
