1. Tipra Motha, the main opposition party in Tripura, has officially joined the government, providing a significant boost to the BJP’s prospects.
2. Animesh Deb Barma and Brishaketu Deb Barma, key members of Tipra Motha, were sworn in as ministers in the Manik Saha government.
3. This development comes just ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, shaping the political landscape in Tripura.
Agartala, March 07: In a significant development bolstering the BJP’s position in Tripura ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the main opposition party, Tipra Motha, formally joined the government on Thursday.
Two prominent members of Tipra Motha, Animesh Deb Barma and Brishaketu Deb Barma, were sworn in as ministers in the Manik Saha government at the Raj Bhavan.
Animesh, who previously served as the leader of the Opposition in the 60-member Assembly, played a pivotal role since Tipra Motha’s victory with 13 seats in its inaugural Assembly poll battle in February last year.
The swearing-in ceremony, attended by Tipra Motha chief Pradyot Deb Barma, CM Manik Saha, and other dignitaries, took place around 9:30 AM on Thursday.
This development follows closely on the heels of Tipra Motha’s recent signing of a tripartite agreement with the state government and the Centre. The agreement pledged to address the concerns of indigenous communities in Tripura comprehensively.
Founded in 2021, Tipra Motha emerged during the Assembly elections with a key demand for a separate Tipraland state.
The party’s stance on forging pre-election alliances without a written commitment to their demand for a constitutional resolution to indigenous people’s issues led to their refusal to form alliances with the BJP and other parties.
However, the agreement reached did not explicitly mention the creation of Tipraland state.
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Before the swearing-in ceremony, Pradyot Deb Barma released an audio message urging his MLAs to remain vocal on tribal issues and not repeat the mistakes of the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT), which remained relatively silent on such issues after joining the BJP-led government.
The inclusion of Tipra Motha in the government ranks provides a significant political boost to the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
With former CM Biplab Kumar Deb named as the BJP candidate for one of the two Lok Sabha seats, sources indicate that Tipra Motha might secure the other seat.
This development further solidifies the BJP-led government’s position, increasing its strength to 47 out of 60 seats in the legislative assembly.
The BJP holds 33 seats, while its regional ally, IPFT, has one MLA.
