The ruling BJP, Tipra Motha Party and the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) have agreed to fight the upcoming Village Committee elections in Tripura together, Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha said on Saturday.
The alliance signaled a fresh effort to strengthen their alliance after recent differences.
The understanding was reached during a meeting in New Delhi chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday. Dr. Saha, who returned to Agartala on Saturday, said the three parties would jointly contest the elections and maintain their political partnership.
According to the Chief Minister, the meeting at Shah’s official residence lasted around 90 minutes and focused on two major issues—the electoral strategy for the Village Committee polls and the implementation of the tripartite agreement signed in 2024.
He said discussions on seat-sharing and other details of the electoral arrangement would be finalised shortly. Teams from the parties have already been formed to work out the roadmap for the alliance.
“We shall definitely fight together,” the Chief Minister said.
The meeting also sought to address concerns surrounding the implementation of the tripartite agreement involving the Centre, the Tripura government and Tipra Motha.
Dr. Saha said the government would take up the pending issues after the Village Committee elections and begin the implementation process from October.
“After the election, we shall sort out the matters related to the implementation of the accord. All the issues related to the accord shall be implemented,” he said.
Describing the meeting as cordial, Dr. Saha said the participating leaders were satisfied with the outcome and agreed to resolve outstanding matters through discussions.
He also stressed that implementation of the agreement would take into account the interests of all communities in the state.
“No single community shall face any discrimination. The interest of all the communities shall be protected,” he said.
The meeting was attended by Tipra Motha supremo Pradyot Kishore Debbarma and BJP’s Northeast region coordinator Dr. Sambit Patra, besides the Chief Minister.
Dr. Saha also commented on the 72-hour strike announced by organisations representing surrendered militants, rejecting the suggestion that the administration was taking a weak approach.
He said the government had the ability to take strong action if required but preferred to address such situations through dialogue and appropriate administrative measures.
“The administration can launch a crackdown anytime but that is not the way to handle things. There is a limit to everything. Instructions are being passed on to the officials,” he said.