BJP vote share gains not a concern despite TTAADC result: CM Saha

By  Firstdespatch Desk   Apr 24, 2026

Agartala, Apr 24 (FD) Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha has said that the outcome of the just concluded Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) elections was “not worrisome” for the BJP, highlighting a substantial rise in the party’s vote share despite securing only four seats.

The Tipra Motha Party (TMP) registered a sweeping victory, winning 24 of the 28 seats in the tribal council. While the BJP’s seat tally remained limited, its vote share increased significantly from 18.72 per cent in 2021 to 28.95 per cent in 2026. TMP’s vote share also rose sharply, from 37.43 per cent to 54.95 per cent during the same period, he told reporters yesterday.

Addressing a press conference, Saha noted that the BJP contested the elections independently, describing it as a first for a national party in the state’s tribal council polls. He underlined that the party’s vote count more than doubled—from around one lakh in 2021 to 2.18 lakh this year—indicating expanding grassroots support.

“We are not unsatisfied with the poll outcome. Our focus was on winning the trust of the people, and we reached every village in the tribal council areas,” he said.

Saha also referred to the historical reliance on regional alliances, noting that the Communist Party of India (Marxist) had earlier depended on its tribal wing, Gana Mukti Parishad, while the Indian National Congress governed the council in alliance with the Tripura Upajati Yuba Samity.

Responding to Opposition criticism over the sanction of ₹64.50 lakh for victims of post-poll violence, the Chief Minister said the funds were released from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund and termed the amount “meagre” in view of the reported scale of damage.

He further alleged that the violence was “pre-planned” and aimed at intimidating voters from supporting a national party in future elections. FD JK