Edited By: Oindrila Mukherjee
Last Updated: March 02, 2023, 19:37 IST
BJP supporters celebrate the party’s lead during the counting of votes for the Tripura assembly elections on Thursday. (Image: PTI)
In the 2018 elections, the BJP won 44 seats with the IPFT as an ally. But the count came down to 34 this time. The fight was not easy but the party was still able to come out on top
The BJP woke up at the right time – this can be one of the major reasons behind how the saffron party managed to retain power in Tripura, a state pegged to have a formidable triangular contest at the onset. But the BJP’s win in the assembly elections came dented this time with its alliance partner, the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT), not performing as well as expected.
In the 2018 elections, with the IPFT as an ally, the BJP won 44 seats. This time, the count came down to 34. The fight, therefore, was not easy but the party was still able to come out on top.
What happened two years ago?
Just after the 2021 election results in West Bengal, there was a revolt in the state BJP against the then chief minister Biplab Deb.
According to sources, the party’s Delhi leaders were unable to understand what went wrong, despite pushing an “act east” policy and a proper development model.
In 2019, the BJP suffered a blow in the tribal vote bank as the Tipra Motha entered state politics, espousing the cause of the indigenous peoples. Its success was evident as it won the elections to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) with 18 seats out of a total of 28.
This was the first alarm that got the BJP up on its feet and working in Tripura.
‘Double engine’ development model
The formula of the “double engine” development model was implemented far and wide in Tripura – from a state-of-the-art airport to a train line extension to Manipur’s Jiribam, everything was pumped into the state. National schemes like the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and Ayushman Bharat were also brought to the state.
Changing the chief minister
A team of central observers was sent to Tripura a number of times and it reached out to each booth to find out what was wrong with the party on the ground.
Then, last year, Deb was abruptly removed and replaced with Dr Manik Saha, who represented the image of the ‘bhadralok’. For the past year, the BJP has worked hard in every booth to retain power.
Work on tribal vote bank
As the tribal vote was a major factor, the BJP even tried to work out an electoral alliance with the Tipra Motha but in vain. Sources said the Motha was of the belief that it will not get much out of the alliance with the saffron party.
Himanta Biswa Sarma’s hard work
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma and his entire team were given the responsibility of different constituencies. Ministers were given two constituencies each while Sarma camped in the state and became a “daily passenger” in the three northeastern states where polls were due.
Other top leaders like BL Santhosh also camped in Tripura, along with Manipur CM N Biren Singh who was flown in to appease the 3 percent Manipuri vote bank.
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