Agartala, March 4 Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha launched the BJP's campaign for the elections to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) on Wednesday by holding a mega rally in Khumulwng, the headquarters of the council in West Tripura.
The date for the election has not yet been announced. The election process for the tribal council, which covers 68 per cent of the state's geographical area, must be completed by April 18.
The TTAADC is currently ruled by the Tipra Motha Party (TMP), a BJP ally, but the two parties will contest the elections separately.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always focused on 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vishwas'. Tripura will not prosper if the tribal people are neglected. That's why we organized the rally at the tribal council's headquarters," Saha said at the 'Empowering the Janjati, Empowering Tripura' rally.
The chief minister accused the TMP of failing on all fronts in the tribal council, saying that only the BJP could improve the lives of the indigenous people.
Saha also claimed that the CPI(M) had treated the tribal people as its vote bank during its rule, but the BJP has been working hard to improve their condition since coming to power in 2018.
"The way people joined the rally shows that the indigenous people are starting to support the BJP in order to bring development to the tribal council areas. We are confident that the BJP will win the TTAADC elections," he said.
In the last elections to the 30-member TTAADC, the TMP won 18 seats, while the BJP won 10. According to the rules, two members were nominated by the governor.
The TTAADC was established in 1982 to ensure the protection and advancement of the Tiprasa (indigenous) people of Tripura. The council became operational under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution the following year.
