Agartala, March 22 (NationPress) While the BJP is in ongoing dialogues with its partner, the Tipra Motha Party (TMP), to finalize a seat-sharing deal, the opposition Congress declared on Sunday its intention to participate in the forthcoming tribal council elections as an independent entity.

The elections for the 30-member Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) are set for April 12, with vote counting occurring on April 17.

Representatives from both BJP and TMP noted that the party’s leadership in New Delhi has been actively engaged in discussions over the past few days to establish a seat-sharing strategy. TMP leader and MLA Ranjit Debbarma indicated that party chief Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma is deliberating with BJP officials in the national capital to finalize this arrangement.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party also collaborates with another ally, the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT), a tribal-centric party that is reportedly advocating for a larger share of seats compared to the previous 2021 TTAADC elections.

In the interim, the president of Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee, Asish Kumar Saha, asserted that the party would independently contest the elections on April 12. “The Congress will nominate candidates for all seats in the TTAADC. However, we are open to any like-minded party interested in a seat-sharing agreement,” Saha mentioned to reporters after a meeting with tribal leaders.

He emphasized that the party’s campaign would prioritize the socio-economic advancement of tribal communities, alleging that areas inhabited by tribals have been overlooked for years.

The Adivasi Congress, the party’s tribal division, has been strategizing for the elections over the past two months, with candidate lists to be revealed shortly, according to Saha.

Key focus areas for the Congress include securing direct central funding for the TTAADC, implementing the Roman script for the Kokborok language, and endorsing the TTAADC Empowerment Bill (125th Constitutional Amendment).

Congress Working Committee member and former minister Sudip Roy Barman remarked that indigenous groups have experienced governance under the CPI(M)-led Left Front and TMP, but have yet to grant the Congress an opportunity. He noted that the Congress-led central government previously facilitated the establishment of the TTAADC in 1984 and increased the number of tribal-reserved seats in the Tripura Assembly from 17 to 20.

Meanwhile, most candidates from the CPI(M)-led Left Front have already submitted their nominations and commenced campaigning for the council elections. The deadline for filing nominations is March 25.

In the last 2021 TTAADC elections, the BJP contested 11 seats, winning nine, while a BJP-backed Independent candidate also achieved victory. The TMP secured 18 seats, gaining control of the council from the Left Front.

The council encompasses nearly two-thirds of Tripura’s 10,491 sq km territory and houses over 12.16 lakh residents, with around 84 percent belonging to indigenous communities. The TTAADC consists of 28 elected members and two appointed by the state government.