Agartala, March 19 Senior Tipra Motha Party (TMP) MLA Ranjit Debbarma said on Thursday that the party plans to form an alliance with the ruling BJP for the elections to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC).
The TMP is part of the Manik Saha-led coalition government in Tripura, but does not share power in the tribal council.
"Party supremo Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma, who is currently in Delhi, is engaged in talks with BJP leaders like BL Santosh and Sambit Patra. We believe that it would be beneficial for both the TMP and the BJP to jointly contest the elections to the tribal council," he told reporters.
Elections to the 28 seats of the TTAADC are scheduled for April 12, with counting to take place on April 17.
Debbarma said that the party chief will soon hold a meeting with the BJP's top leadership to finalize the seat-sharing arrangements for the tribal council elections.
In the 2021 elections, the TMP had won 18 seats, while the BJP, which contested in alliance with the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), secured nine seats in the 30-member council.
Two members are nominated by the governor.
On recent differences between the two partners on various issues, the former rebel-turned-politician said, "Such things happen in politics. Conflict and cooperation are both part of politics. We believe that jointly contesting the elections is the need of the hour."