CPI-M- and Congress form alliance for Ichabpur Panchayat victory in Tripura, triggering BJP allegations of betrayal.
In a significant political development in Tripura’s Unakoti district, the Congress and Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI-M]—traditionally political adversaries—joined forces to regain control of the Ichabpur Gram Panchayat under the Gournagar block of Kailashahar subdivision. The unlikely alliance demonstrated a rare moment of unity in grassroots politics, following a high-voltage power struggle that unfolded over several months.
The drama began after the 2024 Panchayat elections, where no single party secured a majority in the 11-seat Ichabpur Gram Panchayat. Both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the CPI-M bagged five seats each, while Congress managed to secure just one. With no clear winner, the CPI-M and Congress stitched together a post-poll alliance, with CPI-M’s Manoj Pal becoming the Panchayat Pradhan (chief) and Congress’s Abdul Kalam appointed as Upa-Pradhan (deputy chief). Initially, the arrangement worked smoothly and brought a sense of stability to the local governance body.
However, internal dissent and political maneuvering soon surfaced. Tensions escalated when six members of the panchayat—including all five BJP members and one from the CPI-M—submitted a no-confidence motion against Pradhan Manoj Pal. Adding to the political intrigue, another no-confidence motion was filed against Abdul Kalam by six members, comprising one BJP representative and five CPI-M members. These moves paralyzed the panchayat’s leadership and created an administrative vacuum, stalling governance in the village.
The deadlock prompted intervention from the Unakoti District Panchayat Officer, David Halam, who called for a fresh vote of confidence to restore functional leadership in the panchayat. The voting process was held on April 9 at the Ichabpur Panchayat office and was overseen by appointed counting officer Dipankar Chakraborty.
During the confidence vote, BJP members cast their votes against Abdul Kalam in a bid to remove him from the deputy chief’s post. However, Kalam managed to retain his position with the support of the five CPI-M members, securing six votes in his favor.
In a strategic reshuffle, the CPI-M decided to replace Manoj Pal with Sandhya Rani Deb as their new nominee for the post of Panchayat Pradhan. However, in a dramatic twist, BJP members chose to boycott the election, citing political betrayal and what they termed as “opportunistic politics” between the Congress and CPI-M. This paved the way for an uncontested victory for Sandhya Rani Deb, who was unanimously elected as the new Panchayat Pradhan by the remaining six members—five from CPI-M and one from Congress.
While the Congress-CPI-M alliance celebrated their regained hold on the Ichabpur Panchayat, the BJP strongly criticized the political alignment. BJP member Abdul Mutlib accused the opposition of engaging in “corrupt backdoor deals” to manipulate panchayat leadership. He alleged that CPI-M member Soma Begum had initially supported the no-confidence motion but later shifted her stance and voted in favor of the Congress-CPI-M alliance, which led to the BJP’s decision to boycott the final vote.
“This is nothing but political opportunism. The Congress and CPI-M have always been rivals, but now they are working hand-in-glove for power. The people of Ichabpur deserve better,” said Mutlib while speaking to reporters after the voting.
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Despite the controversy, local CPI-M leaders have defended the alliance, calling it a “pragmatic step” to ensure stable governance at the grassroots level. Congress, too, echoed similar sentiments, with a local leader saying, “This alliance is a response to the BJP’s undemocratic tactics and authoritarian style of functioning. We have come together to protect the democratic values of local governance.”
With new leadership now in place and the power struggle momentarily resolved, the focus is expected to return to development issues and panchayat-level administration. Whether the Congress-CPI-M alliance can sustain this unexpected partnership in the coming months remains to be seen, but for now, Ichabpur Gram Panchayat has once again become a vivid reflection of the dynamic and often unpredictable nature of Tripura’s local politics.
With Inputs from Debashish Datta, Kailasahar
