Agartala, September 10: The Tipra Motha Party has claimed a major early advantage in the upcoming Tripura Village Committee elections, with its candidates elected unopposed in 1,148 of the state’s 4,597 seats.
According to figures released by the party after the scrutiny of nominations, nearly 25 per cent of all Village Committee seats have already gone uncontested in favour of Tipra Motha candidates.
The party recorded its highest number of unopposed victories in West Tripura, Khowai and Sepahijala districts.
In Khowai, Tipra Motha candidates were elected unopposed in 318 seats, including 104 in Padmabil, 82 in Tulashikhar, 67 in Mungiakami and 37 in Kalyanpur.
In Sepahijala, the party secured 263 seats uncontested. Jampuijala accounted for 212 of these seats, while 35 were from Charilam.
West Tripura recorded the highest district-wise figure, with Tipra Motha candidates elected unopposed in 391 seats. These included 149 in Hezamara, 109 in Belbari, 91 in Mandai and 80 in Lefunga.
The party also secured uncontested seats in significant numbers across Gomati, Dhalai and South Tripura districts. Jampuijala topped the block-wise list with 212 uncontested seats, followed by Hezamara with 149 and Padmabil with 104.
According to the figures released, 1,179 seats have no contest at this stage. The BJP has 31 of these seats, while Tipra Motha claims the remaining 1,148.
State Election Commissioner Dr Pradip Kumar Chakraborty said on Thursday that the withdrawal process for candidates was still underway. Candidates are allowed to withdraw their nominations until 3 pm on September 11.
After the deadline, Returning Officers will prepare and publish the final list of contesting candidates under Rule 28 of the election rules through Form 7. The final list will also be sent to the State Election Commission.
Chakraborty said the Village Committee elections would be conducted through ballot papers, as in previous years. Ballot papers will be printed based on the final list of contesting candidates.
The Village Committee elections are scheduled for September 28. While the large number of uncontested seats gives Tipra Motha an early advantage, the final number of contested seats will become clear only after the withdrawal deadline on September 11.
