Agartala: Tipra Motha Party (TMP) supremo Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma on Sunday asserted that Chief Minister Manik Saha and the BJP would not be able to defeat his party in the upcoming elections to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC).
The TMP, a partner in the BJP-led coalition government in Tripura, presently governs the TTAADC. The council elections are expected to take place in the second week of April.
Addressing a gathering of the Hranghkhawl community at Jampuijala in Sepahijala district, Debbarma expressed confidence that despite the BJP’s best efforts, the Chief Minister would not succeed in defeating the TMP in the 2026 TTAADC elections.
“We are not going to concede defeat because the TMP is fighting for the ‘dofa’ (community), while the Chief Minister is fighting only to make the BJP win. We will not bow down when it comes to protecting the land, rights and language of indigenous people,” Debbarma said.
Targeting the BJP, he claimed that the Tiprasa people would vote with the future of their children in mind. He also asserted that voters who had earlier trusted political parties would not be swayed by money power this time.
In the 2021 TTAADC elections, the TMP had contested independently and won 18 seats in the 28-member council. The ruling BJP, which fought the polls in alliance with the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT), suffered a major defeat.
Debbarma further criticised the BJP, alleging that the party focuses on communal divisions by talking about Hindus, Muslims and Christians instead of concentrating on real issues such as overall development, livelihood, language and the future of the Tiprasa people.
“If any attempts are made to suppress our voice, we will give a befitting reply (in the election) with a smile. We will be the winner because we are not wrong, as the almighty, who is looking down at us, always supports the truth,” he said.
Stating that the TMC represents the pain and sufferings of the Tiprasa people in Delhi, Debbarma alleged that the Chief Minister visits the national capital, returns, and then acts on directions from there.
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“We don’t need a postman. We stand by the cause of the Tiprasa people. For us, the community is more important than politics,” he added.
