Agartala, 17th April 2026: In a decisive mandate for the Tipra Motha Party, which swept the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) polls by winning 24 of the 28 seats, the opposition Congress and CPI(M) on Friday accused the ruling party of leveraging tribal emotions to mask governance failures.
They also trained their guns on the BJP, alleging tacit understanding. While the BJP managed to secure only four seats, both the Congress and the CPI(M) drew a blank. Reacting to the drubbing, state Congress chief Asish Kumar Saha struck a defensive note, claiming his party had always anticipated a poor seat count but an improved vote share.
“The national leadership had prepared us for this. We knew we wouldn’t win seats, but our vote percentage has risen in several pockets,” Saha said. He launched a sharp attack on the BJP, arguing that its campaign strategy backfired. “The BJP leadership, in a bid to consolidate non-tribal votes in the plains, openly attacked Tipra Motha. In doing so, they hurt the sentiments of the tribal population. That emotional anger translated into votes for Tipra Motha,” he explained. Saha called for peace and stronger tribal-non-tribal unity, adding that his party’s fight for indigenous rights would continue.
Echoing similar sentiments, CPI(M) leader and Leader of the Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury dismissed the election as unfair, refusing to accept his party’s total defeat as a reflection of public opinion.”This was not a level playing field,” Chaudhury alleged. “Tipra Motha has ruled the council for five years with zero performance or tangible success. They have no report card to show. Yet, by whipping up emotional slogans and the fear of land alienation—the ‘thansa’ (fear of outsiders taking over)—they have successfully hidden their failures of looting and misgovernance.” He further accused the BJP-led state government of facilitating this outcome, stating, “The ruling establishment helped them throughout. The BJP is equally responsible for this result.”
Despite their accusations, both opposition parties congratulated the winning coalition and urged the new council to work for tribal welfare.
