Agartala, 7th November 2026 : With the nomination process for the upcoming urban local body elections nearing completion, Minister Ratan Lal Nath has claimed that BJP and its NDA partners are likely to secure 65 seats uncontested across five municipal bodies in Tripura, as no opposition candidates have entered the race in these constituencies.
Addressing the media on Saturday, Nath said elections would be conducted for 345 seats across 21 municipal councils, nagar panchayats and other urban bodies. The nomination filing deadline has already expired, while scrutiny of nomination papers is underway. Candidates can withdraw their nominations until November 10, and voting will take place on November 27.
The Minister said the five urban bodies where opposition parties have failed to nominate candidates for 65 seats are Mohanpur, Jirania, Ranirbazar, Santirbazar and Kamalpur. He maintained that BJP and NDA candidates in these seats were now in a position to secure victories without contest. He described the development as an indication of the opposition’s organisational shortcomings and inability to find candidates.
Interestingly, Nath also expressed concern over the possible consequences of the absence of opposition voices in elected civic institutions. He pointed out that when there is nobody to question the ruling representatives, there is a possibility that those in power may become complacent or act without sufficient accountability.
To address this situation, the Minister revealed that he had proposed an unconventional arrangement to the BJP state president and Chief Minister. He suggested appointing three to four BJP members in municipal bodies, including Agartala, where opposition candidates are absent, to perform the functions of an opposition.
According to his proposal, these members would contest and get elected on BJP tickets but would subsequently take on the responsibility of questioning decisions, raising public concerns and offering constructive criticism within the civic institutions.
Nath also offered to personally train these representatives, along with the assistance of a few other leaders who have experience in opposition politics, so that they could effectively discharge their proposed responsibilities.
The Minister’s suggestion comes amid the prospect of BJP and its allies dominating several urban local bodies without electoral challenges in a significant number of seats. He stressed that democratic institutions require meaningful debate, scrutiny and accountability, even when opposition parties are absent from the electoral contest.
