Padma Mohanty
Agartala (Tripura): The Congress and the Indigenous Nationalist Party of Twipra (INPT) have decided to join hands for the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections in Tripura. The news of alliance was announced by the leaders of both the parties on Sunday in a press meet.
The state’s oldest tribal party, INPT, had previously announced its candidates for the two Lok Sabha seats in the state a week ago after its seat-sharing negotiations with the Congress failed. However now both the parties have declared the names of two of its candidates for both the seats. (Tripura East, Tripura West). INPT President Bijoy Kumar Hrangkhawl said that their minds changed after the recent visit of Congress Chief Rahul Gandhi in Tripura. He also said that Rahul Gandhi has agreed to accept the major demands of the INPT.
Rahul Gandhi in his speech said after Congress comes to power at the Centre, more power and direct funding will be done for the TTAADC (The Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council) to empower it beside scarping the Citizenship Amendment Bill, separate state issues, land reform, Forest Right Act, script for tribal language kakborak and various other issues in connection with the development of the tribal section of people.
Congress has even signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Indigenous Nationalist Party of Twipra (INPT), state Congress chief Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma said. This is for the second time in the Tripura’s political history that an MoU has been signed for forming an alliance between two political parties. “An MoU was signed a week ago between All India Congress Committee, state Congress and INPT in New Delhi,” Pradyot told reporters in the joint press meet. In the MoU, both parties have agreed to fight the LS polls on issues, including the scrapping of the Citizenship Amendment Bill.
For Tripura West Constituency Congress has nominated Subal Bhowmik, who recently joined after quitting BJP and for Tripura East Constituency Pragya Deb Burman, a social activist. Pradyot also said, “If any other party wants to support us, our doors are open.”
INPT President Bijoy Kumar Hrangkhawl, earlier nominated for the Tripura East seat said, “Without any preconditions, we are supporting the Congress candidates in the elections. The Congress President and the state party leaders have agreed to provide more power and autonomy to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council.” Debbarma, earlier named by the INPT for the Tripura West seat said, “For the welfare of the people of Tripura, especially tribals, the Congress and the INPT would work together like before.”
The Congress and the INPT have been contesting polls in Tripura jointly since 1983. The two parties even ran a coalition government in the state for five years from 1988.
Polling for Tripura West will be held in the first phase on April 11, 2019 and Tripura East in the second phase on April 18, 2019. Votes will be counted on May 23, 2019.
