Tripura Ex Royal's Public Outreach After Impressive Show On Poll Debut

Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma, chief of Tipra Motha Party (TMP), on Friday said he has asked all his party MLAs to open offices in their constituencies in Tripura to connect to the people at ground level.

"I have asked all my 13 MLAs to establish an office in their local constituencies ( not at their homes ) so that our people know where they can reach out with their problems. I have given them a time line to establish these offices and would like to see them operate at the earliest," the former Tripura royal tweeted.

Mr Barma's party emerged as the main opposition in the February 16 election winning 13 seats. The 13 MLAs of Tipra Motha took oath at the state assembly yesterday.

The BJP won 32 seats and its ally, Indigenous People's Front of Tripura, won 1.

Talks between the BJP and Tipra Motha earlier this month had reportedly fallen through over the tribal party's demand for a separate state 'Greater Tipraland'.

"I had a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the constitutional solution to the problems of Tiprasa people. We will not join the government until our demands are addressed." the former royal said.

While the BJP may not need Tipra Motha's support to hold Tripura, the new party's stellar show in its first election contest seems to have raised the ruling party's concerns for the 2024 general election.

A senior BJP leader had earlier told NDTV that the leadership is keen to get the Tipra Motha onboard. "We feel that if Tipra Motha remains in the Opposition, it will be a formidable Opposition both inside and outside the assembly. In the 2024 election, BJP wants to win big and bag maximum seats in the Northeast. But in Tripura's tribal areas, Tipra Motha may be our main challenger. So we want to resume talks," the BJP leader said.

Mr Debbarma, a former state Congress chief, has repeatedly stressed that he would happily sit in the Opposition than compromise on his party's core demand for a 'Greater Tipraland'.