Agartala, Aug 23: Tripura BJP on Tuesday suffered a major setback as the party leader to TTAADC- Hangsha Kumar Tripura switched over to Tipra Motha, setting a new equation ahead of Village Council elections.

The development came just five days ahead of BJP president J.P. Nadda’s visit to the state. Along with the BJP’s Janajati leader and MDC, more than 6000 people reportedly joined the Tipra Motha, the ruling party in TTAADC, during a joining programme held at Manikpur of Dhalai district. 

The political experts viewed the move of Hangsha Kumar Tripura as surgical strike of Pradyot Kishore Debbarma, chief of Tipraha Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance (TIPRA), on BJP as the state would go to assembly polls after around six months.

The Tipra Motha chief in a social media post wrote, ““I extend my warm welcome to Hangsa Kumar Tripura, MDC and BJP’s Leader of Opposition in TTAADC, who joined #TIPRA with over 6000 supporters in a mass joining programme organised today at Manikpur. Thank You for believing in #THANSA, nothing else matter’s,” the Tipra Motha chief wrote.