Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha has firmly rejected claims that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the 2023 Assembly elections because the Tipra Motha Party (TMP) did not contest most seats. He said the result was shaped only by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity and guidance, which, according to him, gave the BJP the strength to return to power for a second term. Saha made the remarks at a party meeting in Sotarmura in Sepahijala district. His comments came two days after Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) chief Pura Chandra Jamatia and council member Hansajoy Tripura said that if TMP had contested 42 seats during the 2023 polls, the BJP would not have secured another victory. Saha said such claims were attempts to reduce the BJP’s credibility and influence among voters.
The chief minister pointed to the 2018 elections to counter these arguments. He reminded that the BJP had ended 25 years of Left rule without any support from regional parties. “If this claim is true, then how did the BJP win the 2018 elections? Where were you then? You were not there, but the BJP defeated the communists. Our party won because of the blessings of Modi. Everybody knows ‘Modi Hai To Mumkin Hai’,” Saha said at the gathering. He also accused the CPI(M) of guiding some of its former supporters who later joined regional outfits. According to him, a small section of political activists had been trying to cause trouble ahead of BJP programmes, including in Sotarmura, where shopkeepers were allegedly pressured to close their shops. Saha said police were preparing a list of people involved in criminal activities and warned that the administration would not tolerate any attempts to disturb peace.
Speaking on the political atmosphere during the 2021 TTAADC elections, Saha said BJP workers had faced violence from regional groups. He assured that strict security arrangements would be in place for the upcoming council elections scheduled for April next year, and that the government would ensure a safe environment for voters and party workers.Saha also said that the BJP values its allies and believes in coalition politics. He said the party has a long history of respecting partners and working together for stability. “The BJP is like the river Ganga; a dip in it removes all sins,” he said, suggesting that the party remains open to cooperation but that the final decision lies with the allies.In Tripura, the BJP currently runs the government along with the Tipra Motha Party (TMP) and the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura.
