Tipra Motha members take oath in Tripura tribal council; BJP boycotts ceremony

Agartala, April 27 : The newly elected members of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) from the Tipra Motha Party (TMP) took oath on Monday, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) boycotted the swearing-in ceremony.

Law Secretary Sankari Das administered the oath or affirmation to the newly elected TTAADC members at the council headquarters in Khumulwng, around 20 km north of Agartala.

A senior TMP leader, requesting anonymity, said that the formal constitution of the new council -- including the election of the Chairman and the Chief Executive Member (CEM) -- would be deferred until after the results of the West Bengal Assembly elections are announced.

“As per the procedure, after taking the oath or affirmation, the newly elected members elect the new Chairman and the CEM. However, this time we will wait for the outcome of the West Bengal elections,” the leader told IANS.

The reason behind postponing the election of the Chairman and CEM was not disclosed.

Following the swearing-in ceremony, TMP supremo Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma said that the new TTAADC council would prioritise education, healthcare, water supply, infrastructure development and entrepreneurship.

The TMP, a tribal-based party, is a junior partner in the ruling BJP-led coalition government in the state.

Meanwhile, senior BJP leader and former Lok Sabha member Rebati Tripura had announced on Sunday that the party’s four newly elected TTAADC members would boycott the swearing-in ceremony.

On Sunday, Rebati Tripura led a five-member BJP delegation to meet Governor Indra Sena Reddy Nallu at the Raj Bhavan, submitting a memorandum seeking an inquiry into the recruitment of 120 Group-C and Group-D posts in the TTAADC.

The BJP alleged widespread corruption in the council’s administration. “The entire administration acted in ways that enabled massive corruption, misappropriation of public funds, and large-scale diversion of project money,” the memorandum stated.

It further alleged that during the recent TTAADC election period, the council administration hastily carried out appointments to 120 Group-C and Group-D posts in a secretive manner, without adhering to transparent procedures.

In the TTAADC elections held on April 12, the TMP secured a sweeping victory by winning 24 out of 28 seats. The BJP managed to win only four seats.

The BJP and its two tribal-based allies -- TMP and the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) -- had contested the polls separately after failing to reach an electoral understanding.

Since 2021, the TMP has governed the strategically significant council, widely regarded as the second most important constitutional and political institution in Tripura after the state Assembly.

The 30-member TTAADC consists of 28 elected representatives and two members nominated by the state government, and it administers nearly 70 per cent of Tripura’s 10,491 sq km geographical area.

Political observers note that with two consecutive victories in the TTAADC, the TMP has further consolidated its position in Tripura’s political landscape.

Tribal communities constitute nearly one-third of Tripura’s 4.2 million population and continue to play a decisive role in the state’s politics.