Why political collaboration between Prodyut Manikya of TMP and NPP chief Conrad Sangma remains a clueless mission ?
The BJP achieved the unthinkable in 2018 when the communists were ousted from power in Tripura. Of course, there was a well calculated move with tribal-area based parties -- both in 2018 and 2023; but now the saffron party has enhanced engagements in tribal areas to expand support base.
It's like pulling the ear and the shoulder also feels the turn.
As the Lotus party has sought greater engagement with tribals in remote and development-starved areas; predictably tension escalated between BJP and its ally TMP.
The BJP leaders have even alleged that Tipra Motha Party workers have attacked saffron outfit Karyakartas on multiple occasions.
The differences between Tripura chief minister Manik Saha and TMP chief Pradyot Manikya have increased manifold over last few months.
Addressing a party programme in Khowai district on December 23, the Chief Minister had asked the ‘regional party’ (TMP) to behave like a “younger brother".
In response, Prodyot has taken a potshot at the Chief Minister and remarked --- “I have no elder brother but an elder sister. In politics, no one is a big brother or younger brother. All are equal".
This is only a calculative statement by the TMP leader as he feels threatened in his own bastion.
The Tripura Tribal ADC elections are scheduled to take place in March and hence the oneupmanship is increasing by the day. Often ridiculous kinds of claims and counter claims are being made.
One woman tribal leader of BJP --Radhamala Debbarma has accused TMP of being unfair to her and making 'fake claims' that she had joined the TMP. She claims she only met Prodyot and shared the stage out of courtesy as many tribal people and TMP footsoldiers had requested her for the same. In fact the saffron party has been trying to make deeper penetration into tribal heartlands in the state since July 2025 when it organised a 'Janajati Chintan Shivir'.
This was a political move for bringing together elected representatives and organisational leaders from indigenous communities.
Apparently this was a game-changer. A large number of tribal people now have come closer to the BJP. It goes without stating that in the run-up to the TTAADC polls, all major political parties, including the ruling BJP, its allies TMP and the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT), and opposition CPI (M) and Congress, have intensified efforts to consolidate their support among tribals.
Nearly one-third of Tripura's 4.2 million population are tribals and hence they are also decisive in terms of assembly elections.
The BJP is pursuing this new political strategy as it wants to minimise "reliance" on tribal-based parties -- TMP and IPFT.
But there are political intricacies around and hence this is easier said than done.
Even as the Leftists were defeated and the BJP came to power in 2018; since 2021, the Tipra Motha Party has been governing the politically significant 30-member TTAADC.
The autonomous body covers nearly two-thirds of Tripura’s 10,491 sq km geographical area and is home to over 12.16 lakh people. The marginalised state of affairs of the CPI-M and the Congress nevertheless have made it a battle between the TMP and the BJP.
Another tribal-based party, the IPFT, would of course play their own game and is expected to garner substantial votes.
In other words, the BJP is slowly emerging as a formidable force among tribal population.
This has led Prodyut explore other strategies. The TMP's alliance or trying to foster a new kind of political relationship with the Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma-led NPP must be seen from this perspective.
Though there are theories that some Sanghparivar elements may try to encourage such experiments essentially to test ground; it is also a fact the efforts by Prodyut and Conrad Sangma so far have not made much difference in northeast India's polity.
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| Still a clueless Mission : Conrad, Prodyut and others |
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