A day after its ally, the Tripra Motha Party (TPC), announced it would contest the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) elections alone, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday released its list of candidates for all 28 seats and inducted five TPC rebels into the party. Bhattacharjee said several rounds of talks were held with Tipra Motha Party, but as a seat-sharing arrangement did not materialise, (Facebook/drmaniksaha)

“We have decided to field candidates in all 28 seats. Seven sitting members were re-nominated, while new candidates were fielded in Machamara and Manu-Chailengta,” state BJP president Rajib Bhattacharjee said at a joint press conference on Tuesday, effectively entering a head-to-head battle with its partner for the state’s tribal votes.

The BJP also welcomed five TPC leaders including an executive member of the outgoing TTAADC and a member of the district council in the presence of chief minister Manik Saha and finance minister Pranajit Singha Roy.

Bhattacharjee said some senior Tipra Motha leaders have joined today. “There are many others who will join soon,” he said.

District council member Soudagar Kalai, who joined the BJP, accused his previous party of corruption. “We have raised many demands like Tipraland, Greater Tipraland but our main aim was to work for the development of the indigenous people. We have seen that everyone is doing politics. Over five years, I have seen that the majority are corrupt. There was endless corruption,” he said.

Elections to TTAADC, which covers nearly two-thirds of Tripura’s geographical area, are scheduled for April 12. Counting will take place on April 17.

Tipra Motha party founder Pradyot Kishore Debbarma on Monday declared that his party would independently contest the TTAADC election, ruling out a pre-poll tie-up with the BJP.

“My name is Pradyot Kishore Manikya, and I fight for my people. I will never compromise with the future of the next generation. Many people have more power and money, but I have the support of poor Tiprasa people,” he said in a social media post.

To be sure, Debbarma’s TPC is part of the ruling coalition led by the BJP in Tripura and has two members in the Manik Saha-led council of ministers.

The TPC, however, secured a majority in the TTAADC elections in 2021 and hopes to repeat its performance.