BJP Tripura delegation meets Amit Shah to strengthen tribal outreach ahead of 2026 polls
State BJP General Secretary Bipin Debbarma said the meeting with the Union Home Minister revolved around strengthening the party’s presence among the tribals.
New Delhi/Agartala, Aug 20: A ten-member delegation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from Tripura, led by state president Rajib Bhattacharjee, held a series of meetings with senior central leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, in New Delhi to chalk out strategies aimed at consolidating the party’s organisational base among the state’s tribal population.
According to party sources, the delegation met Shah on Tuesday, where Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, BJP’s Northeast in-charge and national spokesperson Sambit Patra, were also present.
Tripura Industry and Commerce Minister Santana Chakma, a prominent tribal leader and member of the delegation, said that discussions with Shah on Wednesday primarily focused on tribal development and the overall growth of the state.
State BJP General Secretary Bipin Debbarma said the meeting with the Union Home Minister revolved around strengthening the party’s presence among the tribals, who account for nearly one-third of Tripura’s 4.1 million population.
Other members of the delegation included Tribal Welfare Minister Bikash Debbarma, former MP Rebati Tripura, and MLA Rama Pada Jamatia—all influential tribal leaders.
Last week, a six-member team of the BJP’s tribal leaders from Tripura also met the party’s National General Secretary (Organisation) B.L. Santhosh in New Delhi, where they discussed organisational matters relating to tribal communities.
The deliberations also touched upon the upcoming elections to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), slated for early next year. The politically significant 30-member TTAADC—covering nearly two-thirds of Tripura’s 10,491 sq km area and home to over 12.16 lakh people, 84 per cent of whom are tribals—is currently governed by the BJP’s ally, the Tipra Motha Party (TMP).
Party insiders said the BJP has been making a concerted effort to strengthen its independent organisational base in tribal-inhabited regions to reduce its reliance on tribal-based allies such as the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) and the TMP.
-IANS