Agartala, Mar 20: Senior Tipra Motha Party (TMP) MLA Ranjit Debbarma on Thursday said the party plans to forge an alliance with the ruling BJP for elections to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC).
The TMP is part of the Manik Saha-led coalition government in Tripura, but does not share power in the tribal council.
“Party supremo Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma, who is currently in Delhi, is engaged in talks with BJP leaders like BL Santosh and Sambit Patra. We are of the view that it will be good for both TMP and the BJP to jointly contest the elections to the tribal council,” he told reporters.
Elections to the 28 seats of TTAADC are scheduled on April 12, while counting will take place on April 17.
(Ranjit) Debbarma said the party chief will soon hold a meeting with the BJP’s top leadership to finalise seat-sharing arrangements for the tribal council elections.
In the 2021 elections, the TMP had won 18 seats, while the BJP, which contested in alliance with the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT), secured nine seats in the 30-member council.
Two members are nominated by the governor.
On recent differences between the two partners on different issues, the rebel-turned-politician said, “Such things happen in politics. Fighting and friendship are part of politics. We do believe that fighting the elections jointly is the need of the hour”.(PTI)
