Tipra Motha, a four-year-old regional party in Tripura, became a major political force by winning on 13 out of 60 seats in the Tripura legislative assembly in the recently held state elections.
The margin for a newbie political outfit has posed a challenge to the BJP.
Led by former Congress leader Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma, Tipra Motha has become the second-largest party after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Tripura.
The party was expected to play a major role in Tripura’s politics as it had usurped the prospects of the BJP-IPFT alliance, the Left front, and the Congress in 2021 tribal council polls by winning with the majority. It has brought an end to the 15-year rule of the Left Front in the council.
Debbarma formed the Tipra Motha Party after resigning from Congress in 2019. He left Congress as the state president claiming he was being forced to accommodate “corrupt people” in the party by the high command.
Tipra Motha has an appeal in the tribal population as it demands a separate state ‘Greater Tipraland’ for indigenous communities.
While it was believed that the party will become a key player in the formation of the government in Tripura, BJP was able to bag 32 seats emerging as the single largest party.