The IPFT will organise a major rally in Agartala on August 23 to demand Tipraland statehood. The rally, coinciding with Sixth Schedule Day, aims to strengthen the call for a separate state and press the Governor with a formal demand, ahead of the 2026 ADC elections.
In a move that is expected to escalate the long-standing demand for a separate state for indigenous communities, the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) has announced a mass rally in Agartala on August 23. The rally aims to press for the creation of Tipraland, a separate state comprising areas covered under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
IPFT General Secretary Swapan Debbarma, addressing the media on Sunday, said the rally would culminate in the submission of a formal demand draft to the Governor of Tripura, urging the formation of Tipraland. The rally is being held to coincide with Sixth Schedule Day, which the IPFT also observes as Tipraland Demand Day.
“This year, instead of holding our traditional protest in New Delhi, we are holding a massive demonstration in Tripura. Since the Autonomous District Council (ADC) elections are due next year, we want to mobilise our support base here,” Debbarma said.
Despite being a junior partner in the BJP-led alliance government in Tripura, the IPFT has maintained its separate identity and has repeatedly voiced its core ideological commitment to the formation of Tipraland. Debbarma clarified that the party’s decision to hold an independent protest is in line with the Common Minimum Programme agreed upon with the BJP during the formation of the alliance.
“Both the BJP and IPFT retain their right to organise independent political activities. Our demand for Tipraland has always been our primary goal and remains non-negotiable,” he said.
Concerns Over Voter List and Electoral Inclusion
In addition to statehood demands, the IPFT also expressed serious concerns over the ongoing Special Summary Revision (SSR) of the electoral rolls. Debbarma revealed that the party recently held discussions with the Election Commission of India, urging the authorities to ensure that no genuine Indian citizen, especially among the indigenous communities, is excluded from the voter list.
“We emphasized the need for generation-wise verification using the 1971 voter list as the base. Any identification without authentic documentation from 1971 would be unreliable and potentially harmful to indigenous rights,” Debbarma said.
He pointed out that during similar electoral revision exercises in 1993 and 1994, more than one lakh doubtful voters were identified. However, their names were never removed from the electoral rolls due to procedural lapses. Debbarma urged the Election Commission to consider these past instances while conducting the current revision.
National-Level Coordination with Other Statehood Movements
The IPFT is also actively coordinating with similar movements across the Northeast region. The party recently participated in a conference of the National Federation of New States (NFNS) in Meghalaya on July 29. The NFNS is a platform that brings together various statehood demand groups from across India.
At the Meghalaya conference, it was decided that all participating groups would hold a sit-in protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar in November or December this year. Each statehood movement, including IPFT from Tripura, will send at least 20 representatives.
“This national-level coordination shows that our movement is not isolated. There is growing recognition across India for the unique challenges faced by different communities who are demanding statehood under the framework of the Constitution,” Debbarma stated.
The August 23 rally is expected to draw thousands of supporters from the tribal belts and autonomous areas of Tripura. The event is being viewed not just as a political show of strength but as a strategic move to reassert the Tipraland demand ahead of the 2026 ADC elections.
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With rising regional aspirations and renewed political mobilisation, the coming months may witness increased activity around Tripura’s tribal statehood movement — with implications for both state and national politics.
