LF filled more than BJP, over 10,000 candidates in fray as on last date of nomination in VC Election

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, September 9, 2026

More than 10,000 candidates have submitted nomination papers for the upcoming Tripura village committee elections, even as uncertainty continues over the seat-sharing arrangement among the ruling BJP, Tipra Motha Party and IPFT.

Data released by the State Election Commission appears to differ from claims made by leaders of the ruling alliance regarding the distribution of seats among its constituent parties.

The three parties have projected confidence about their prospects in the elections, but the exact formula governing the allocation of seats remains unclear on the final day of filing nominations.

Party leaders and workers have been under pressure from their respective grassroots organisations to secure a larger share of seats, particularly in areas where they have a strong organisational presence.

Sources familiar with the discussions said the alliance partners were likely to arrive at a common understanding by September 11, the deadline for withdrawal of nominations.

“The nominations were filed because of the limited time available,” a senior leader involved in the seat-sharing discussions said.

According to the State Election Commission, 10,958 nomination papers have been filed by 10,936 candidates for 4,597 seats spread across 587 village committees.

The Tipra Motha Party, which is the ruling party in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), has filed nominations for 4,371 seats. The BJP has submitted nominations for 1,974 seats.

The opposition CPI(M) has filed nominations for 2,484 seats, while the IPFT and Congress have submitted papers for 486 and 466 seats, respectively. Candidates categorised as “Others” account for 1,151 nominations.

The figures indicate that candidates from the ruling alliance have filed nominations for substantially more seats than the total number of seats available, reflecting the absence of a clearly implemented seat-sharing arrangement at the nomination stage.

The nomination papers will be scrutinised on September 9, while candidates can withdraw their nominations until September 11.

Polling for the village committee elections is scheduled for September 28, with counting of votes to be held on October 5. The entire electoral process is scheduled to conclude by October 8.

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