Agartala, 6th October 2026 : Senior Congress MLA and former Health Minister Sudip Roy Barman has described the outcome of Tripura’s tribal village committee elections as an indication of a possible revival for the Congress in the state’s hill areas, saying the party is gradually moving away from its traditional dependence on regional political allies.
Roy Barman acknowledged that the Congress did not enter the ADC elections with high expectations, citing what he termed years of organisational weakness in the tribal belt.
“Practically speaking, we did not have very high expectations for the ADC areas—the hill regions. This is because we have suffered from long-standing weaknesses, largely due to our reliance on alliance partners,” he said.
Recalling the Congress’s past dependence on different tribal and regional outfits, he said, “Over time, we depended on various political parties—be it TUJS, IPFT, INPT, or TNV.”
However, he said the latest results had provided the party with reasons for optimism. According to Roy Barman, Congress-backed independent candidates have secured around 20–22 seats, while the immediate tally available to the party stood at around 14.
“We have just begun to find our footing,” he said, adding that several of the victorious independents backed by Congress could formally join the party in the near future.
Roy Barman also congratulated the Tipra Motha Party (TMP) for its strong showing, while taking a critical view of the BJP’s attempt to project the results through the NDA alliance.
“I would also like to extend my thanks and congratulations to the Tipra Motha party. They have won approximately 74.62% of the seats, while the BJP secured 18.7%,” he said.
According to him, the BJP’s repeated emphasis on the NDA rather than its individual tally was an attempt to divert attention from its performance.
“To mask their embarrassment and this humiliation, the BJP is now avoiding the specific seat count and instead chanting ‘NDA, NDA, NDA.’ Tipra Motha, on the other hand, is not talking about the NDA; they are focusing solely on their own achievement—the number of seats they have won,” Roy Barman said.
He also questioned the rationale behind reports of a BJP-IPFT victory procession in Agartala, pointing out that the two parties together accounted for just over 19% of the seats.
“With the BJP at 18.7% and the IPFT at 0.71%—meaning a combined total of just over 19%—holding a victory celebration seems like an attempt to grab public attention and construct a false narrative,” he said.
At the same time, Roy Barman maintained that Congress would not undermine the achievements of rival parties and extended congratulations to all successful candidates.
Turning to his party’s performance, he said the Congress had remained competitive in a number of constituencies, with some defeats coming by extremely narrow margins.
“Despite our weaknesses, we faced defeat in certain seats by margins as narrow as one, two, or three votes—these were very close contests,” he said.
The Congress leader argued that the results should be viewed as the beginning of a longer political rebuilding process.
“Taking everything into account, we see a ray of hope for the future; after all, we have just begun to walk on our own. As time progresses, we will undoubtedly pick up pace and momentum, and we will be able to achieve something significant in the days ahead,” he said.
Roy Barman, however, expressed particular disappointment over the performance of the Left parties, which are part of the INDIA bloc. He said their share of the seats stood at only around 1.89%.
“What disappointed us most regarding the ADC elections was the performance of a partner in the ‘INDIA Alliance’—specifically, the Left parties,” he said.
The Congress MLA urged the Left parties to examine the reasons behind their decline, recalling that they had wielded considerable influence in the tribal areas in the past.
“Those who—just ten years ago—held considerable sway must now properly assess where they went wrong,” he said.
Roy Barman also cautioned against treating the results as a permanent verdict on any political party, stressing that electoral fortunes can change.
“Every election is fought on specific issues, agendas, and perspectives. No one should give in to despair,” he said.
He added that Congress too would conduct its own assessment and work on correcting its weaknesses.
“While the BJP also faced disappointing results, there is no room for despondency in politics. In the coming days, every political party that engages in analysis will identify its weaknesses and chart its future course; we intend to do the same,” Roy Barman said.
