Agartala, March 24: In a significant political setback ahead of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) elections, the TIPRA Motha party suffered a major defection of its key leaders to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday.
The leaders switched sides at the BJP’s state headquarters in Agartala in the presence of Chief Minister Manik Saha and state BJP president and Rajya Sabha MP Rajib Bhattacharjee.
Those who joined the BJP include TTAADC Executive Member Ananta Debbarma, MDC Sadagar Koloi, and senior TIPRA Motha leaders Rajesh Kumar Debbarma, Taishiram Reang and Suryabasi Molchum.
The development comes just weeks before the crucial TTAADC elections, scheduled for the second week of April, with political activities intensifying across Tripura’s tribal belt.
Soon after joining the BJP, the defecting leaders alleged corruption within the TIPRA Motha leadership. They claimed that the party’s internal functioning offered limited scope for them to contribute meaningfully to the development of indigenous communities.
The entry of leaders holding influential positions within the TTAADC is expected to bolster the BJP’s prospects in the upcoming polls, while adding a new layer of contestation to the evolving political landscape in the tribal areas.
 elections, the TIPRA Motha party suffered a major defection of its key leaders to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday.){kind=link}