Controversy Over NDA Meeting at Government Dak Bungalow in Dhalai, Jitendra Chaudhury Seeks Action Over Alleged MCC Violation

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, September 22, 2026

A political controversy has erupted in Tripura over an alleged meeting of the NDA constituents—BJP, Tipra Motha and IPFT—held at the government Dak Bungalow in Manu, Dhalai district, in connection with preparations for the ongoing TTAADC Village Committee elections.

The meeting, reportedly attended by Cabinet Ministers Ratan Lal Nath and Shukla Charan Noatia, is being questioned by the opposition CPI(M), which has alleged that the ruling alliance used government premises for political and organisational discussions during the period when the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) is in force for the Village Committee elections.

CPI(M) State Secretary and Leader of the Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury has raised the issue with the Tripura State Election Commission, submitting what he described as electronic evidence of an MCC violation by BJP, Tipra Motha and IPFT.

In his communication to the State Election Commission dated September 22, Chaudhury alleged that an important meeting concerning the alliance's unity, coordination and organisational preparations for the Village Committee elections was held at the government Dak Bungalow in Manu in the presence of the two Cabinet Ministers. He requested that appropriate steps be initiated over the alleged breach of the election code.

The controversy centres particularly on the use of a government facility for a political meeting. The Model Code of Conduct guidelines state that government rest houses, dak bungalows and other government accommodation should not be monopolised by the party in power or its candidates, and such premises cannot be used as campaign offices or for public meetings for election propaganda. The guidelines also caution ministers against combining official visits with electioneering and against using official machinery for electioneering purposes.

Chaudhury also said that he had personally spoken to the State Election Commissioner regarding the matter. According to Chaudhury, the Commissioner told him that holding such a political meeting at the government premises was illegal.

The CPI(M) leader has therefore questioned how a government Dak Bungalow could allegedly be used for a meeting involving the ruling alliance at a time when the election process is underway and the MCC is applicable.

The political significance of the meeting has also drawn attention because the BJP, Tipra Motha and IPFT are constituents of the ruling-side electoral arrangement in the ADC areas. The Village Committee elections involve hundreds of village-level bodies across the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council region and have emerged as a major political contest among the NDA constituents and opposition parties.

The meeting, according to the statement attributed to the participants, was also linked to the broader objective of taking the message of development to villages in the ADC areas with the “trust and active participation” of the tribal community. The statement said that ensuring development reaches every village of the ADC area was the alliance's commitment.

However, the opposition has questioned whether such political coordination and organisational discussions can be conducted inside a government facility while the MCC is operational.

The State Election Commission's response and any subsequent action on the complaint are now likely to determine whether the alleged use of the Manu government Dak Bungalow amounted to a violation of the applicable election code.

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