TIPRA Motha sweeps Tripura tribal council elections

Agartala: TIPRA Motha secured a resounding victory in Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (ADC) elections, winning 24 of 28 seats in the results announced Friday for the April 12 polls.

The governing BJP bagged only four seats. Congress and CPM drew a blank. In the 2021 ADC elections, TIPRA Motha had won 18 seats and BJP nine, a tally that rose to 10 after an Independent joined the saffron party. Before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Motha allied with BJP and became part of the governing coalition. However, tensions grew over delays and disagreements over the implementation of the Tiprasa Accord signed prior to the Lok Sabha elections. Motha’s founder Pradyot Kishore Debbarman openly accused CM Manik Saha of obstructing efforts towards Greater Tipraland — a proposed state extending into regions of Bangladesh and south Assam.

Alleged attacks on BJP workers added to the tensions. Eventually, BJP contested the ADC elections independently against Motha.