CPI(M) Looks to Expand Footprint across TTAADC areas as BJP Candidates and Supporters Switch Sides Ahead of VC Polls
By Our Correspondent
Agartala, September 8, 2026
The CPI(M) has intensified its organisational activities across the tribal areas of Dhalai district ahead of the September 28 Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) Village Committee elections, with a significant number of BJP candidates, workers and supporters reportedly joining the Left party.
The development comes at a time when political activity has sharply increased across the ADC areas. Elections to 587 Village Committees, covering 4,597 seats, are being held after nearly a decade, making the polls particularly important for all major political parties. According to State Election Commission data reported on September 5, the CPI(M) had already filed 865 nominations, while Tipra Motha had filed 839.
According to the news report, the latest political movement is particularly visible in the Kamalpur and Ambassa subdivisions of Dhalai district, where the CPI(M) is claiming that BJP candidates and supporters are deserting the saffron camp and joining the Left.
The report says that 14 BJP candidates from two ADC villages under the Gandachara block recently went to the CPI(M) office at Gandachara and formally announced their decision to leave the BJP and join the CPI(M). The entrants were reportedly welcomed into the Left camp with red flags, signalling what the CPI(M) is portraying as a significant organisational gain in the tribal belt.
The report further states that the CPI(M) expects more people to join the party during the next two to three days from at least 15 ADC villages spread across four blocks in the Kamalpur and Ambassa subdivisions.
Among the areas specifically named in the report are Paschim Lambuchara, Setrai, Dhanachandra, Apareshkar, Jagannathpur, Jiolchara, Gurudhanpara, Kathalbari, Shimbhuk Chak, Mendhi and Siddhapara. The report also refers to developments in Panboya ADC Village under the Salema area and Kalamchara ADC Village under Ambassa.
The news report describes the movement as more than a simple change of allegiance by individual political workers. It suggests that a section of BJP candidates and supporters has become increasingly dissatisfied with the party's political strategy in the tribal areas, particularly with the BJP's electoral understanding with Tipra Motha.
According to the report, some BJP workers believe that the BJP, despite being one of the country's largest political parties, has had to make considerable political compromises because of its alliance with a regional tribal party. The report claims that this has contributed to dissatisfaction among a section of BJP's grassroots supporters and leaders.
The CPI(M), meanwhile, is attempting to turn the issue into a wider political campaign centred on tribal land rights, protection of indigenous interests and the restoration of what it describes as the rights of people in the ADC areas.
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