Agartala: The Indigenous Peoples’ Party of Tripura (IPFT), a partner in the BJP-led coalition government, will continue to function as an independent political entity in future elections, senior party leader and president Prem Kumar Reang said on Monday.
The announcement comes days after the Tipra Motha Party (TMP) held a ‘One North East’ rally aimed at uniting all regional parties of the Northeast under a common platform.
Reang said the IPFT, formed in 2009 with the demand for Tipraland, decided in its Central Working Committee meeting on Sunday to maintain its separate identity despite being invited to the November 27 rally.
“Another party (TMP) was formed in 2021 with the promise of Greater Tipraland. After discussion, we resolved that IPFT will remain a distinct political entity,” he said.
He added that the party is open to jointly contesting the upcoming Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) elections with the BJP and TMP — all part of the current Manik Saha-led government — but is prepared to contest independently if no alliance materialises.
The election to the tribal council is scheduled for April next year.
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Reang further said the party will hold a one-day sit-in in Delhi to push for the passage of the 125th Constitution Amendment Bill, which seeks to enhance the powers of the tribal council. He noted that the Tripura Assembly has already passed a resolution supporting the renaming of TTAADC as Tipra Territorial Council and increasing its seats from 30 to 50.
“We urge Parliament to pass the 125th Amendment Bill during the current session,” Reang said.
