Reported by Mrinal Kanti Banik
Agartala: The BJP and its NDA ally Tipra Motha have agreed to jointly contest the upcoming elections to the Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC), other municipal councils and nagar panchayats in Tripura, Power Minister Ratan Lal Nath said on Sunday.
However, the two parties are yet to finalise their seat-sharing arrangement. Nath said the proposals submitted by Tipra Motha would be discussed within the BJP, with a final decision expected by Monday night.
Describing Sunday’s meeting between representatives of the two parties as cordial and constructive, Nath said the discussions centred on contesting the urban local body elections together with all constituents of the NDA.
Tipra Motha had earlier indicated its willingness to continue its alliance with the BJP for the municipal elections, following their joint participation in the TTAADC Village Committee (VC) elections. After internal discussions within the party, representatives of the two sides met on Sunday to take forward the alliance talks.
Nath and BJP state general secretary Bipin Debbarma represented the BJP at the meeting, while Tipra Motha was represented by MLAs Ranjit Debbarma, Purnachandra Jamatia and other senior leaders.
Speaking after the discussions, Tipra Motha MLA Ranjit Debbarma said his party was ready to contest the municipal council and nagar panchayat elections across Tripura. He said the party had submitted its seat-sharing proposals to the BJP leadership but did not disclose the number of seats it had sought.
Debbarma said Tipra Motha was seeking a respectable share of seats, particularly in areas where it has an established organisational presence and the potential to field candidates.
He added that the distribution of seats among the alliance partners across municipal areas and nagar panchayats would be decided after the BJP’s working committee meeting scheduled for Monday.
The two parties also held preliminary discussions on coordinating the filing of nomination papers so that candidates from both parties could submit their nominations on the same day, Debbarma said.
The final seat-sharing agreement is expected to determine which NDA partner will field candidates in different municipal areas and wards across the state.
BJP Tripura Pradesh president Abhishek Debroy said the party would make efforts to contest the upcoming urban local body elections alongside its NDA allies.
On candidate selection, Debroy said preference would be given to young people willing to take on leadership responsibilities.