'Greater Tipraland' was on many minds as Tripura went to polls on February 16. Tipra Motha, the party that made its bones in the TTAADC (Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council) elections, made its debut in the legislative assembly polls this time, raising the demand for a separate state which would benefit the tribals. As poll counting has shown, Pradyot Bikram Manikya Deb Barma's party made quite a mark, winning 13 seats, while the CPI(M)-Congress alliance managed to win only one more seat than the newcomers.
While both the ruling party and Opposition courted Tipra Motha's alliance, none were willing to agree to their demand for a Greater Tipraland, a point reiterated by the state's BJP spokesperson even as counting was on.
However, the results have shown Tipra Motha gain a foothold. The party is likely to have a greater say in the government.
Seats won by Tipra Motha:
Tipra Motha won with the highest margins in Ampinagar, where it secured a win by 12,186 votes, Asharambari, where it won by 18,328 votes and Karamchara, where the party had a 10,595-vote margin. Similarly, in Mandaibazar, Tipra Motha won by 21,649 votes, in Ramchandraghat by 16,202 votes, Simna with a 16,946 margin, and in Takarjala with a 32,455 gap.
Of these, the BJP was not in the picture in Asharambari, Ramchandraghat, and Takarjala, but elsewhere Tipra Motha managed to take the saffron party to the cleaners. In Ampinagar, BJP secured 9,202 votes, while in Karamchara BJP only secured 9,751 votes. In Mandaibazar, the saffron party got 6,444 votes, and in Simna, it managed 5,577 votes. In comparison, Tipra Motha candidates in all these seats secured around 20,000 votes or more, showing that despite BJP's win, some parts of Tripura completely rejected their politics and saw greater promise in the emerging Tipra Motha.
Tribals propel Tipra Motha to grand debut
All the seats where Tipra Motha secured the most votes, including Takarjala, where the party won with a whopping margin of 32,455, are Scheduled Tribe (ST) seats. Ahead of the polls, DH reported that tribals in the state had pinned their hopes on Tipra Motha, which also focused on 70 per cent tribal voters in 21 constituencies under the TTAADC.
An individual from Mohanpur had noted, "All here will vote for Maharaja this time." But the Tipra Motha lost out to BJP there, with the saffron party clinching 19,128 votes, while the former only managed only 11,781. However, their debut and performance have shown that Tipra Motha's promises struck a chord with the people, and with the party getting a greater say in the working of the state, tribals might find their voices heard more, though the winning party BJP also has promised them greater autonomy.