Agartala, March 21: With less than three weeks left for the high-stakes Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) elections, uncertainty continues over a formal seat-sharing arrangement between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ally TIPRA Motha. At the same time, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has emerged as a major political issue in the border state.
The twin issues of alliance dynamics and voter list revision dominated discussions during a key BJP organisational meeting held at the Saheed Bhagat Singh Youth Hostel on Saturday.
The meeting was attended by Chief Minister Manik Saha, BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh, SIR in-charge for the Northeast Vinod Sonkar, and state president Rajib Bhattacharjee, along with ministers, MLAs, and other senior party leaders.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines, Chief Minister Saha indicated that while the alliance with TIPRA Motha remains intact, a final decision on seat-sharing for the TTAADC polls is yet to be taken by the central leadership.
“As I said earlier, they are in alliance with us—we already have that alliance in place. We are committed to maintaining the dignity and discipline of that alliance. However, any final decision will be taken at the appropriate time. Our leaders in Delhi will sit together and discuss the matter,” he said.
“At this moment, no such talks have taken place yet, so it would not be appropriate to comment on the specifics or the direction things may take. That will become clear only after discussions are held,” he added.
Alongside alliance uncertainty, the SIR exercise has gained prominence in the political narrative, particularly given Tripura’s geographical vulnerability as a state surrounded on three sides by Bangladesh.
The Chief Minister noted that the SIR exercise is already underway in various parts of the country and has informally begun in Tripura, though an official notification is still awaited.
The revision process, undertaken by the Election Commission, aims to update electoral rolls by adding eligible voters and removing ineligible or duplicate entries.
The issue has been repeatedly raised by TIPRA Motha, which has expressed concerns over alleged illegal infiltration from across the Bangladesh border and its potential impact on electoral outcomes, particularly in TTAADC areas. The party has been demanding a comprehensive revision of electoral rolls ahead of the polls.
Acknowledging the sensitivity of the issue, Saha said, “SIR is a crucial administrative process to ensure that only genuine voters are included while identifying and removing any illegal entries,” while asserting that steps are being taken to ensure no legitimate voter is excluded.
He also sought to reassure existing voters, stating that those already enrolled would only need to complete necessary formalities, while the exercise would enable newly eligible voters to be included in the rolls.
As political negotiations continue and the election date draws closer, both the unresolved alliance question and the SIR process are shaping the contours of the TTAADC electoral battle, bringing issues of identity, migration, and electoral integrity into sharp focus.
 elections, uncertainty continues over a formal seat-sharing arrangement between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ally TIPRA Motha. At the same time, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has emerged as a major political issue in the border state.){kind=link}