Hoping to break the long run of the left Front rule in Tripura, the BJP may project its State president Biplab Kumar Deb as its Chief Ministerial candidate while looking for a tie-up with smaller but influential regional tribal players like the Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT).
According to sources, BJP is expecting an alliance with IPFT, a tribal-based party, that may give it an added heft with the tribals in the State. Assam’s Health, Finance and Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is the election-in-charge of Tripura, is discussing the ‘political deal’ with the IPFT which plays an important role in the border areas of the State.
BJP leaders claim, that of the 13 tribal seats (of total 60) it could win 13 seats as the 20-year rule of the left Front rule under Manik Sarkar has ‘alienated them’. Tribals in the hills have been demanding a separate State which besides the left Front even BJP trusts was not feasible. BJP, however, may promise an autonomous council for them.
As the poll campaign from both the sides is turning aggressive, BJP has spelt out its strategy which includes checking ‘bogus voting’ with a ‘sharp eye’ on migrants. BJP leaders say voting in the State sometimes goes very high which could be due to ‘bogus voting’.
Secondly, the BJP is concentrating on youngsters who it claims ‘want change’ from the CPM-led-Government, which is facing sharp anti-incumbency in the State .
Thirdly , the party is hoping that like in Himachal Pradesh, Government employees here too would back it. There are around 1.50 lakh Government employees, a number which may climb to around three lakh when their family members are also counted.
The BJP would promise Government employees, currently receiving 4th pay commission, the benefits of 7th pay commission, they said.
Besides the tribals, BJP has high hopes on Tripura’s sizeable population of Bengalis who belong to the Nath community, Yogi Adityanath’s sect. BJP feels the Uttar Pradesh CM will help consolidate Hindu voters. These Bengallis follow Shaivism.
While Naths are classified as an OBC group in the Centre’s list, they are considered a general category in Tripura. “In Tripura, 35 per cent of the Bengalis belong to the Nath sect. Majority of them have migrated from Bangladesh after facing religious persecution there,” according to Sunil Deodhar, the BJP’s State-in-charge.
Another component of BJP’s election strategy may be to announce CM face for the State in Deb, a young party leader who hopes that that BJP which collected 2 per cent vote in 2013 may, this time, bring about a total turnaround in the results.
He says since January 6, 2016 when he took over as state president more than 2.5 lakh voters have joined the BJP and the organisation has been completely overhauled. BJP is the only party that can boast of a powerful organisational base among the tribals now, he claims.