Jitendra Choudhury Questions Counting Process, Targets BJP-NDA Narrative After TTAADC Village Committee Results

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, October 6, 2026

Tripura Leader of Opposition and CPI(M) state secretary Jitendra Choudhury on Monday questioned the conduct of the counting process for the TTAADC Village Committee elections and accused the ruling BJP-led alliance of creating obstacles for opposition parties at counting centres.

Addressing a press conference after the Village Committee election results began emerging, Choudhury alleged that the BJP’s political approach had changed from preventing opposition candidates from filing nominations to allegedly preventing opposition representatives from entering counting centres.

According to Choudhury, “the earlier culture was not allowing the opposition to submit nomination papers, while the new version is not allowing the opposition to enter counting centres.” These remarks were made in the context of the allegations raised by the CPI(M) regarding the counting process at different locations.

The CPI(M) has separately alleged security lapses, obstruction of opposition candidates and irregularities during counting. Reports from different counting centres also indicated tension, protests and clashes in several parts of the state.

Choudhury Questions NDA Victory Claim

Taking a dig at Chief Minister Prof. Dr. Manik Saha's description of the results as a victory for the NDA, Choudhury questioned the political narrative surrounding the outcome.

He referred to the contrasting political reactions emerging from the tribal areas and said that while the Chief Minister was describing the outcome as an NDA victory, slogans against the BJP were also being heard in the hills.

Choudhury also claimed that the political reality on the ground was different from the narrative being projected by the ruling alliance. His remarks were part of the CPI(M)'s post-result assessment and should be viewed as the opposition party's political interpretation of the results.

Allegation Over Security Arrangements

The Leader of Opposition also raised questions over the security situation during the counting process, claiming that even senior police officers were not adequately protected.

He referred to incidents involving senior police officials and questioned how ordinary citizens could expect adequate security if senior officers themselves faced difficulties during the counting-related unrest.

Several counting centres witnessed tension on Monday. Reports said security forces resorted to lathi-charge in Khowai, while protests and road blockades were also reported in other areas.

CPI(M)'s Assessment of the Result

The CPI(M) leadership also sought to place the results in the context of the electoral arrangements between the BJP and Tipra Motha.

The 2026 Village Committee elections were contested amid an electoral understanding involving the BJP and Tipra Motha, with the two parties deciding to fight the polls together as NDA partners. The parties had finalised a seat-sharing arrangement before the election.

However, the final candidate figures showed that the alliance partners did not contest exclusively on separate seats. BJP, Tipra Motha and IPFT candidates were present in overlapping constituencies in a significant number of seats.

Choudhury's comments therefore come amid a continuing political debate over whether the results should primarily be described as a collective NDA performance or assessed separately according to the performance of each alliance partner.

Chief Minister Manik Saha's Response

Chief Minister Prof. Dr. Manik Saha, meanwhile, said that the Village Committee election was not fought on the basis of a formal alliance agreement with Tipra Motha in the way some political opponents were portraying it, while acknowledging that seat-level adjustments had been made.

According to Saha, efforts had earlier been made to arrive at an understanding with Tipra Motha during the TTAADC-related electoral process, but those attempts had not materialised at that stage. For the Village Committee elections, however, seat adjustments were subsequently made between the parties.

Saha also acknowledged that there had been one or two places where mistakes were made and suggested that the BJP could have fielded candidates in those areas.

Earlier, the Chief Minister had publicly stated that BJP, Tipra Motha and IPFT were working towards contesting the Village Committee elections together under the NDA framework.

Results Put Alliance Structure Under Focus

The emerging results have brought renewed attention to the relationship between the BJP and Tipra Motha. By the evening of October 5, Tipra Motha had secured a substantial number of seats, while the BJP had also won hundreds of seats. Independent candidates and opposition parties, including CPI(M) and Congress, had secured smaller numbers of seats.

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