TMP will win 24 of 28 TTAADC seats, claims party chief ahead of polls

Agartala, April 11: Tipra Motha Party (TMP) supremo Pradyot Kishore Debbarma asserted that his party will win the April 12 elections to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) by winning 24 of the 28 seats.

Addressing an election rally at Gandatwisa in Dhalai district on Friday, Debbarma appealed to the people not to vote for Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT), an ally of the BJP-led coalition government in the state.

“It is certain that the IPFT will not be winning the elections scheduled to be held on April 12. If you vote for the IPFT, it will help the BJP in the elections. My appeal is not to vote for the IPFT and instead extend support to TMP, which has been fighting for your rights,” he said.

Urging the Tiprasa tribes to be united, Debbarma said no force could prevent the TMP from winning if the tribal people remain united in the elections.

Alleging that Chief Minister Manik Saha has “no love and respect for the Tiprasa people”, Debbarma said Saha is fighting for the party while TMP is in the race for the cause of tribal people. He (Saha) will get a reply on April 17 (the day of counting), Debbarma said.

Currently, the TMP is running the tribal council while the BJP is in the opposition even as both parties share power at the state level.

Campaigning for tribal council elections ends: Meanwhile, the high-voltage campaign for the elections to the 28-member TTAADC ended on Friday.

The TTAADC comprises two-thirds of the state’s geographical area and is home to a population of 13 lakh.

Debbarma led a high-decibel campaign for the TMP, which is trying to retain power in the TTAADC, while Chief Minister Saha spearheaded the BJP campaign with the saffron party trying to wrest power from the TMP in the tribal council. The CPI (M) and Congress also intensively campaigned for the elections to the TTAADC.

“Campaigning for the tribal council elections, which is scheduled to be held on April 12, ended on Friday peacefully. The process was by and large peaceful,” State Election Commission (SEC) secretary Anurag Sen said.

He said that altogether 9, 62,679 electors will decide the fate of 173 candidates in the 28 seats.

Director General of Police Anurag said elaborate security arrangement has been made to ensure free, fair and peaceful elections. “Apart from 12,000 personnel of Tripura State Rifles (TSR) and police, the Centre has sent 24 companies of paramilitary forces for the tribal council elections,” he told the press. “All the 1,257 booths will be manned by the TSR jawans and state police personnel while additional Central forces will be deployed in areas of all constituencies.”

PTI