TIPRA Motha to go alone in Tripura polls

The leading tribal party is planning to put up its own candidates in 50-55 Assembly segments and aims to surpass the absolute majority threshold.

New Delhi, Jan 26: Tipraha Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance (TIPRA) Motha, the leading tribal party of Tripura which aims at creation of a 'Greater Tipraland', has announced that it would contest almost all the Assembly seats in the upcoming election but all alone as it did not receive any written assurance from any party regarding its demand for a separate State.

TIPRA Motha is planning to put up its own candidates in 50 to 55 segments when polls will be held for the 60-member Tripura Assembly. However, the party appears to have left its door open for any possible alliance in the future. At the same time, it has stated that the party would welcome any offer from the government over the Greater Tipraland issue.

"On our own, we want to surpass the absolute majority threshold. The candidate list is being finalised by the party leadership. The decision of chairperson Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma regarding the Assembly elections will be acceptable to all. For every TIPRA warrior, our people and party are supreme," said Motha president Bijoy Kumar Hrangkhawl.

The Motha intends to field candidates from all communities and religions in both reserved and non-reserved seats, he added.

TIPRA Motha, the State's largest tribal party, and Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), the BJP's tribal ally, were in talks to merge their parties. They have met twice in Guwahati recently. Many IPFT MLAs have left the party during the recent elections and joined the Motha, which controls the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council.

All parties - right from CPM to Congress to BJP - have been attempting to form an alliance with the Motha because the State has 20 seats set aside for Scheduled Tribes in the Assembly. Though it has frequently emphasised contrasts between them, Debbarma's recent negotiations with the BJP has raised suspicion that it would align with the current government.

In a letter to the party members, Debbarma asked party members to be prepared and stick together to fight the elections on their own if necessary and promised a candidate list in a day or two.

The Congress and the Left, who have previously declared their intention to run together, have started discussions to determine seat adjustments and choose candidates. They had made "major" judgements, according to a senior Left leader, and a formal briefing on the list might take place soon.

IPFT president Prem Kumar Reang told reporters recently that his party is in alliance with BJP. "We remain a part of the coalition. Since 2009, Tipraland or an independent state has been our principal demand. In 2018, we backed the BJP, and we triumphed. To protect the 'dofa' (community) and Tiprasa (tribes), Bubagra (Pradyot Kishore) is striving arduously. It's critical to offer him support right now. The campaign to defeat him in the 2023 assembly elections has already begun," he added.