AGARTALA: Tripura BJP signalled on Wednesday that it is prepared to contest the Village Committee elections on its own if no alliance materializes, with Pradesh president Abhishek Debroy saying the matter would be finalized within one to two days, after a high level organizational meeting at the party’s state office.
The meeting followed a late night BJP core committee meeting held at Chief Minister Prof. (Dr.) Manik Saha’s residence on Tuesday. On Wednesday, senior leaders gathered for a daylong meeting at the Pradesh BJP office in Agartala to discuss strategy ahead of the much awaited Village Committee elections in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), scheduled for September 28.
Among those present were former Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, Chief Minister Dr. Saha, BJP national general secretary (organization) B.L. Santhosh, national spokesperson Sambit Patra, BJP state in-charge Dr. Rajdeep Roy, Rajya Sabha MP Rajib Bhattacharjee, former union minister Pratima Bhowmik and Pradesh BJP president Abhishek Debroy, along with ministers, MLAs, morcha presidents and in-charges, district presidents and in-charges, and mandal presidents.
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According to Debroy, BJP would have no problem contesting the Village Committee elections even without an alliance, and the party is ready to fight the polls alone if required. He said the alliance question would be settled within the next one to two days, indicating that while the possibility has not been ruled out entirely, the party is also preparing to go it alone if necessary.
Meanwhile, Dr. Saha said the meeting also discussed a broader roadmap for the party’s future course, including building up karyakartas at the grassroots level and moving away from the kind of party workers seen during Communist and Congress rule.
He said the party’s campaign would focus on addressing the everyday problems faced by people in marginal areas, and that BJP has always been mindful of this section of the population.
However, concerns persist over BJP’s organizational strength in the state’s tribal and hill dominated areas, where the party’s structure is reportedly still considered weak, making the Village Committee elections particularly significant for its position in the hills.
