District Council poll in Tripura is scheduled to be held on April 4 next – however, confusion over ruling BJP-IPFT alliance persists. While all the political parties are at their last minute preparations for the campaign trail, BJP central observer for Tripura Vinod Sonkar, who is visiting Tripura and holding BJP organizational meetings with State Party leaders, still kept the hopes alive for the alliance between BJP and IPFT for the ensuing elections.
The National Secretary of the partyalso told reporters that soon a meeting between BJP and IPFT would be convened to sort out the strains.
The confusion relating to existing alliance between BJP and IPFT surfaced after IPFT forged alliance with another regional party. IPFT reportedly demanded 22 seats out 28 seats in the April 4 Tripura Tribal Area Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) Poll. However, BJP flatly denied. The seat sharing arrangement between IPFT and its new ally is also yet to be finalized.
On being asked specifically about the IPFT, Vinod Sonkar said, “The IPFT is our alliance partner. As the elections are declared, we shall definitely sit to talk with them pertaining to the pre-poll arrangements between the party as usually done between the alliance partners”.
Vinod Sonkar sought to point out that BJP party is a party of Karyakartas.
“They are given the top most priority. During the meetings we have planned as to how the party will campaign for the ensuing elections and as to how it will highlight the development activities carried out by the state BJP government before the masses during the poll campaigns”.
According to Sonkar, the state government as well as the central government have taken enough steps to empower and extend respect to the indigenous people of Tripura and these steps will be used during the polls campaigns.
On the candidate list, he said, talks are still on. The party Karyakartas are sharing their ideas. The party leadership is also exchanging views with the party workers. “The party will surely declare its candidate list within the time frame allotted by the election commission”, Sonkar added.