After a landslide victory in Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), the newly formed ‘TIPRA Motha’, took over the charge of the council of the politically important Tripura.
The TIPRA in the April 6 elections had defeated the ruling BJP-IPFT alliance.
The BJP on Sunday announced that they would boycott the swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected members and no leaders of the IPFT was seen at the event held at the TTAADC headquarters in Khumulwng, 20 km north of Agartala.
TIPRA Motha’s ally INPT’s general secretary Jagadhish Debbarma was elected new Chairman of the TTAADC and Purnachandra Jamatia has been chosen as new Chief Executive Member (CEM).
The CEM and the other Executive Members of the TTAADC would take the oath on Tuesday.
The ‘TIPRA Motha’ chairman and Tripura’s royal scion Pradyot Bikram Manikya Deb Barman said that following the principle of ‘one man, one post’ he opted out of the CEM race.
Amalgamating various local tribal-based parties and leaders and members of other parties, the ‘TIPRA Motha’ (tribal unity) headed by Deb Barman was formed just a few months ago and scripted a new political history by capturing the 30-member TTAADC.
In the April 6 elections to the TTAADC, of the 28 elective seats (two nominated by the members), the ‘TIPRA Motha’ won 18 seats, the BJP secured nine seats while one seat went to an Independent candidate.
Two members of different tribal communities were nominated by the governor in the TTAADC on the advice of the state government.
The results of the elections to the TTAADC are a major setback for the BJP-alliance, which wrested power in Tripura in 2018 after defeating the CPI-M led Left parties that ruled the state for 25 years.
However, the BJP for the first time won nine seats in the TTAADC though its junior ally IPFT, despite being a major tribal-based party, drew a blank.