Agartala, Sep 3 (IANS) Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha said on Wednesday that the BJP is fully prepared for the upcoming Village Committee and Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) elections.

The Village Committee, equivalent to Gram Panchayat, elections are due for over a year and the politically important TTAADC elections are expected to be held within March next year. The 30-member politically important TTAADC has currently been governed by the BJP’s ally Tipra Motha Party (TMP).

The ruling BJP has been trying to strengthen its organisational base in the TTAADC, which has jurisdiction over two-thirds of Tripura’s 10,491 sq km area, and is home to over 12,16,000 people, of which around 84 per cent are tribals.

Saha, former state BJP President, while chairing an organisational meeting of the BJP Janajati Morcha (tribal front) at the state party headquarters, said that the special organisational meeting was held with the state tribal leaders as part of the party’s preparedness ahead of the TTAADC polls.

“The main aim is to discuss the problems faced by the Janajati community and to explore how our party and the government can jointly work to resolve these issues in the coming days, sending a strong message to all Janajatis in the state. We have been planning this meeting for several days, and today we finally decided to hold it,” said the Chief Minister.

He stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always emphasised the importance of the development of the Janajati community, which was not adequately addressed in the past.

“But since 2014, when Modi became Prime Minister, many initiatives have been undertaken for the welfare of the Janajatis. Following his vision, the Tripura government is also working tirelessly. We want to reach every corner of the Janajati society and ensure their development,” Saha added.

He also highlighted the upcoming elections, saying, “Whether it is the Village Committee or TTAADC polls, we are fully prepared. However, this meeting is not being held in the context of elections. Its primary focus is on serving the people and addressing their issues.”

The meeting was attended by BJP state President Rajib Bhattacharya, party General Secretary (Organisation) in-charge of Tripura-Assam Ravindra Raju, Tribal Welfare Minister Bikas Debbarma, Industries and Commerce Minister Santana Chakma, BJP’s Janajati Morcha President Parimal Debbarma, and other tribal workers from district and mandal levels.

–IANS

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