Guwahati: The Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT), a key partner of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) held a “tight door meeting” with TIPRA party leaders in Guwahati on Saturday. This was a significant move ahead of the crucial assembly elections in Tripura.
Discussions over the IPFT’s merger with TIPRA which is chaired by royal scion and former top Congress politician Pradyot Manikya Debbarman have reportedly taken place.
Informing about the meeting, Pradyot Debbarma took to twitter and wrote, “Met the IPFT leadership yesterday and asked them to consider becoming one party! Time is short and I hope they do the right thing.”
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma visited Pradyot Debbarman on Thursday in New Delhi. Even though Tripura BJP-related issues are being handled by a different team inside the party, CM Sarma attempted to minimise its relevance, according to Pradyot, who said that he made it plain that he will not budge from his demand for a separate state “come what may.”
The 60-member Tripura assembly has about 20 seats that are dominated by indigenous groups. In the 2021 elections for the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), Tipra came out on top.
Voting in Tripura will take place on February 16 and the results will be tallied on March 2. The scrutiny will be done on January 31 and the last date for withdrawal of candidature is February 2.