Agartala: The Tipra Motha Party (TMP), led by royal scion Pradyot Kishore Debbarman, on Friday made a strong comeback by retaining power in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), securing a decisive majority. The party, which had won 18 out of 28 seats in its debut election in 2021, further consolidated its position in 2026 by winning 24 seats. The BJP, on the other hand, secured only four seats, marking a fall of six seats compared to the 2021 elections.

Other political parties such as IPFT, Congress and CPI(M) failed to open their accounts. What was expected to be a closely contested election instead turned decisively one-sided, with many BJP heavyweights struggling to put up a fight as counting began earlier in the day.

Among the prominent winners, sitting CEM Purna Chandra Jamatia, Chairman Jagadish Debbarma, EM Kamal Kaloi, retired IAS officer C K Jamatia and Rabindra Debbarma retained their seats with increased margins.

On the BJP side, senior leaders including party secretary David Debbarma, general secretary Bipin Debbarma and Tribal Welfare Minister Bikash Debbarma’s close relative Billow Jamatia suffered defeats. Senior BJP leader and MDC Padma Lochan Tripura was also defeated in the Kathalia-Mirza-Rajapur constituency.

In 2021, the BJP had won 10 seats. Later, one leader defected to Tipra Motha, bringing the party’s tally down to nine.

The BJP’s performance, however, remained comparatively better in the non-tribal seats. BJP’s Manju Rani Sarkar won from Machmara constituency, Khangjaong Mog from Silachari-Manubankul seat, Shailendra Nath from Dasda-Kanchanpur, and Esmel Joy Tripura from Chawmanu.

Shortly after the results were declared, Tipra Motha supremo Pradyot Kishore Debbarman urged party supporters to maintain calm and refrain from violence.

“From some areas, I am getting information that unfortunate incidents are occurring. This is not right. We have won because of love and we should spread love. I appeal to all the female supporters of my party to come out and stand against violence because those who are at the receiving end also have families and children at their homes,” he said.

Crediting the unity of the people for the victory, Debbarman said, “The voters have proven that thansa (Kokborok word for unity) is more powerful than money power. I could fight this election enduring so much pressure and insult because my people stood beside me like a solid rock. This is why I am saying that this is not the time to showcase your anger. This is the time to be humble.”

Reacting to the poll outcome, senior BJP leader and Power Minister Ratan Lal Nath said, “The mandate of the public is above all. In politics, we have to accept the decision of the public very humbly.”

Minister Tinku Roy, who had expressed confidence in a BJP victory, also shared a detailed social media post thanking party workers for their efforts during the polls.

The victory of Tipra Motha also drew appreciation from other Northeast leaders. Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma and NPP leader Daniel Langthasa congratulated Debbarman on the win. Notably, Debbarman and Sangma are among the key faces of the proposed ‘One North East’ initiative, aimed at bringing regional parties together to form a pan-regional political platform representing the region’s interests.

Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress also reacted to the BJP’s performance in Tripura. Senior Trinamool leader and former Rajya Sabha MP Kunal Ghosh, in a social media post, urged the BJP to introspect instead of making claims about the West Bengal elections.

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