Tripura Minister Ratan Lal Nath says the NDA is confident of winning 90–95% seats in upcoming Village Committee elections, citing BJP, Tipra Motha and IPFT unity, strong grassroots preparation, and declining Left influence across tribal constituencies.
Senior BJP leader and Tripura Power and Agriculture Minister Ratan Lal Nath has expressed strong confidence that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), comprising the BJP, Tipra Motha and IPFT, will secure between 90 and 95 per cent of the seats in the upcoming Village Committee elections in the state.
Speaking in an interview on Monday, Nath said the alliance is well-prepared for the elections and maintained that traditional political strongholds can change when parties present a positive and development-oriented agenda before voters.
The Village Committee elections are scheduled to be held across 52 blocks out of Tripura’s 58 blocks, covering 587 villages and a total of 4,597 seats. Nath described the Village Committee and three-tier panchayat elections as complex electoral exercises but said the NDA partners are prepared to face the contest together.
According to Nath, several areas that were once considered strongholds of the Left have undergone a significant political transformation. He particularly referred to the state’s 20 tribal Assembly constituencies, claiming that the CPI(M) failed to win a single seat in these constituencies in both the 2018 and 2023 Assembly elections.
Nath argued that the political influence of the Left has declined considerably in Tripura and said the NDA’s electoral strategy would focus on maintaining its support base while addressing local concerns.
On the alliance between the BJP, Tipra Motha and IPFT, Nath said the seat-sharing formula was prepared largely on the basis of the results of the previous elections to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (ADC).
He said discussions held in Delhi involving Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha were positive, particularly concerning the demands raised by Tipra Motha. Nath said negotiations continued for around 10 to 12 hours before the alliance reached an understanding on seat-sharing and coordination.
Following the discussions, local leaders were reportedly instructed to resolve any remaining disagreements through dialogue. Nath stressed that the NDA partners would contest the Village Committee elections as a united alliance rather than functioning as separate political parties.
The minister also said the campaign would largely revolve around local issues rather than national or broader state-level political matters. Drinking water shortages, road connectivity, infrastructure development and the implementation of social welfare schemes are expected to remain among the key issues raised during the campaign.
Nath indicated that seat adjustments could also take place between the BJP and Tipra Motha in constituencies where one party has a stronger local presence. Discussions on such arrangements are already underway in areas including Kalyanpur and Raima Valley, he said.
Meanwhile, Nath appealed to the State Election Commission to ensure that candidates who reach nomination centres before the deadline are allowed to submit their nomination papers even if the process continues beyond 8 p.m. or 10 p.m. on the final day.
He argued that candidates should not lose their opportunity to contest because of last-minute crowds or delays in completing the nomination process.
Taking aim at the CPI(M), Nath rejected the party’s complaints regarding difficulties in filing nominations. He alleged that the Left party was withdrawing from the electoral contest because of its limited prospects of victory.
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Nath maintained that the NDA alliance is positioned strongly ahead of the Village Committee elections and reiterated his prediction that the BJP-led alliance could win between 90 and 95 per cent of the seats.
The elections are expected to provide another test of the political strength of the NDA partners at the grassroots level, particularly across Tripura’s tribal and rural areas.
