Tripura: BJP to contest all 28 TTAADC seats, says CM Manik Saha

Agartala: Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Friday said the ruling BJP was preparing to contest all 28 seats of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), asserting that its political understanding with Tipra Motha was confined to the state and Assembly levels and did not apply to the ADC.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting with party leaders on the forthcoming TTAADC elections, Saha said the BJP and Tipra Motha were not allies in the ADC and that the BJP had been playing the role of a responsible opposition in the council since the last elections.

“The alliance between BJP and Tipra Motha exists only at the state and Assembly level. In the TTAADC, we are not together. If required, discussions can take place at a later stage, but for now we are concentrating on strengthening our organisation,” the Chief Minister said.

The meeting was attended by BJP Tripura Pradesh president Rajib Bhattacharjee, party general secretary Bipin Debbarma, and other senior leaders.

Saha said organisational preparedness, campaign strategies, and the division of responsibilities among leaders were discussed.

He said the party was focusing on outreach in rural and tribal areas as part of its campaign strategy for the ADC polls. On the party’s poll agenda, Saha said development would be the BJP’s central plank.

“The response during recent joining programmes in the ADC areas indicates that people are seeking a change. Various local parties have headed the ADC administration in the past, and people now feel that a national party should lead the council,” he said.

Saha also accused opposition parties of distorting statements made by BJP leaders during campaign activities in the ADC areas, adding that the election results would reflect the ground reality.

The schedule for the TTAADC elections is yet to be announced.