Agartala: Following its entry into the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led coalition government in Tripura, TIPRA is now in talks with the top BJP leadership over the East Tripura parliamentary constituency.
According to the party supremo Pradyot Kishore Debbarman, the BJP central leadership has agreed to nominate someone of his choice for the politically crucial constituency.
“The most important issue in front of us is to send someone to Delhi who can give our people a voice in the parliament. Whether the candidate will be elected using my party’s symbol or any other symbol is not a big deal. The way we have a voice in the Tripura cabinet now, Lok Sabha should have someone who understands our issues,” he told his followers in a Facebook livestream.
Debbarman also said that for the next six months, he needs cooperation of intellectuals of his society to ensure that the accord gets its final shape and rights of the Tiprasa people are restored.
According to reports, Debbarman is advocating for his elder sister, Pragya Debbarman, to secure a ticket for the upcoming elections. Pragya had previously contested for the seat in 2019 as a Congress nominee when her brother served as the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) President, but was defeated by Rebati Tripura of the BJP.
The BJP has already declared its candidate for the West Tripura constituency, nominating former Chief Minister and Rajya Sabha Member Biplab Kumar Deb, who has commenced his campaign.
Despite speculation, incumbent Lok Sabha MP and Union Minister of State Pratima Bhoumik was not fielded from the West constituency; however, party insiders suggest she may be nominated to the Rajya Sabha.
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With TIPRA’s inclusion, the strength of the ruling coalition has now risen to 47 seats. Nonetheless, the Congress and Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) continue to criticize TIPRA for engaging in what they perceive as opportunistic politics and manipulation of tribal sentiments through their ‘Greater Tipraland’ agenda. They predict that the regional party will gradually lose relevance in state politics.
Former health minister and Congress leader Sudip Roy Barman remarked, “The BJP appears to have a broader strategy to diminish the influence of regional parties in Northeast India. TIPRA leaders will soon realize that they have been marginalized in the state’s political landscape.”
Also Read | Lok Sabha: Congress fields Tripura president against ex-CM Biplab Deb