If it was the rapid rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that changed the political landscape of Tripura in 2018The buzz is now, five years later, around Tipraha Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance (Tiprah) Mothaa regional party formed by former royalty Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma, after leaving the Congress. As it happens, former arch-rivals, the Left Front led by CPI(M) and Congress are in alliance They say it is necessary to counter the rising tide of saffron in the state, where elections are due on February 16. The BJP didn’t live up to the high expectations it soared in 2018, and last year, Replacing Biplab Kumar Deb with Manik Saha as Chief Minister to revive himself. In its 2018 victory, the BJP ended 25 years of Left Front rule by winning 36 seats in the 60-member House. It is seeking re-election not on the basis of its track record in the state, but by highlighting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s image, central schemes, claims of India’s handling of COVID-19, its global economic clout, its G-20 leadership. Used to be. and Union Budget. The Left-Congress alliance and Motha have been raising issues of corruption, misuse of government machinery, reign of fear and unemployment to target the BJP. By warning people against parties trying to divide Tripura, and ignoring questions about its governance, the BJP is projecting Motha as its main rival.
Motha, which is contesting 42 seats, is expected to do well in the 20 tribal-dominated assembly seats within the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council, where it has been in power since 2021. The pre-poll alliance offer by both the BJP and the Left-Congress alliance shows that Motha is a force to be reckoned with. Motha rejected the Left-Congress offer, while talks with the BJP failed after it refused to give in writing that it would provide a Greater Tipraland within the constitutional framework. The Left-Congress alliance supports the idea as long as it does not affect the territorial integrity of the state, but the BJP finds it divisive and alienating tribals (31.8% of the state’s 36.74 lakh population) and non-tribals. Designed for. , Motha disagrees and points out that unlike tribe-based parties of the past, including the BJP’s ally, the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura, it is more inclusive than the BJP; It also accuses the national party of “dividing people on the basis of religion, food”. By fielding candidates in 22 non-tribal seats, Motha is trying to reiterate that he stands for “Tripura for All”, which is upending the politics of the state.
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