Agartala, September 10: The BJP and Tipra Motha Party (TMP) held a key coordination meeting on Thursday ahead of the TTAADC Village Committee elections, focusing on seat adjustments, candidate coordination and withdrawal of nominations filed from additional seats.
The meeting aimed to prevent alliance partners from contesting against each other and avoid vote division. Leaders also discussed joint campaigning in seats where either BJP or TMP is contesting with alliance support.
Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister and senior BJP leader Ratan Lal Nath and Minister Sushanta Chowdhury attended the meeting for the BJP. TMP MLA Ranjit Debbarma and TTAADC Chief Executive Member Runiel Debbarma represented Tipra Motha.
Speaking after the meeting, Nath said the seat-sharing formula was based on the results of the previous ADC election. He said limited time had prevented the parties from taking the coordination process to the grassroots level, but workers understood the objective.
“We want peace, and that is our highest priority,” Nath said, stressing the importance of peace and stability for faster development in Tripura.
Asked about TMP candidates contesting separately in some seats, Nath said the BJP and TMP were partners in the state government but electoral strategies varied from one election to another.
He also questioned the CPI(M) and Congress over their failure to field candidates in significant numbers during the nomination period. Nath claimed the opposition parties lacked sufficient support in tribal areas.
The meeting also discussed the withdrawal of extra nominations and coordinated organisational campaigns. The alliance partners want to avoid competing nominations in the same seats and work together to prevent vote division.
The BJP-TMP coordination ahead of the Village Committee elections is also being closely watched for its impact on the political equations in Tripura.
