How is BJP Strengthening Its Tribal Base in Tripura?

Agartala, July 17 (NationPress) In anticipation of the upcoming elections for the significant Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), the ruling BJP convened an important meeting titled 'Janajati Chintan Shivir' with all elected tribal representatives and organizational leaders on Thursday.

Out of Tripura's population of four million, approximately one-third consists of tribal communities, who have historically been pivotal in the electoral landscape of this northeastern state.

The daylong gathering saw participation from Tripura's Chief Minister Manik Saha, state Party President Rajib Bhattacharjee, Tribal Welfare Minister Bikash Debbarma, all tribal MLAs, TTAADC representatives, and tribal leaders from across Tripura.

Bhattacharjee, who also serves as a Rajya Sabha member, stated to the media, 'The purpose of this meeting is to enhance the BJP's organizational presence among tribal communities.'

In a post on X, Chief Minister Saha emphasized: 'Thanks to the visionary leadership of Hon'ble PM Shri Narendra Modi Ji, effective governance has reached both the plains and the hills. The dedicated efforts of the BJP-led government to uplift the socio-economic and political status of Janajati communities throughout the nation, including the long-ignored northeastern region, are now yielding positive results.'

'Today, I addressed a gathering of elected party members from TTAADC (MDCs), MLAs, and party officials at the 'Janajati Chintan Shivir' held at Gitanjali Guest House, Agartala, where I highlighted various development initiatives and discussed organizational matters in detail,' the Chief Minister noted in his post.

In Tripura, 20 out of the 60 Assembly seats are reserved for tribal candidates, and both the BJP and the Congress have relied on tribal-based parties to garner tribal votes.

The CPI (M)-led Left Front, which governed Tripura for 35 years over two terms (1978-1988 and 1993-2018), has also maintained control over the TTAADC for many years due to its solid support among tribal communities.

In the recent 2023 Assembly elections, the BJP secured six out of the 20 tribal-reserved seats, while its ally, the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), obtained one seat.

Conversely, the then-opposition Tipra Motha Party (TMP), which allied with the BJP in March of last year, won 13 seats in the 2023 elections.

In a significant political shift, TMP achieved a landslide victory in the TTAADC 2021 elections, displacing the CPI (M)-led Left parties from power.

The TMP captured 18 out of 28 TTAADC seats, while the BJP won nine seats and an Independent candidate secured one seat.

Despite being a tribal-based party, BJP's junior ally, IPFT, did not win any seats in the 2021 TTAADC elections.

Headed by former royal scion Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma, TMP has emerged as a formidable political force since April 2021 after securing power in the TTAADC, which oversees two-thirds of Tripura's 10,491 square kilometers and is home to over 1.2 million people, with approximately 84 percent being tribal.