Minister Sukla Charan Noatia Reaffirms IPFT’s Plan to Contest Next Assembly Polls as Part of BJP-Led NDA

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, October 11, 2026

Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) president and the party’s lone minister in the Tripura government, Sukla Charan Noatia, on Sunday reaffirmed the party’s intention to contest the next Assembly elections as a constituent of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). His statement came in response to remarks by IPFT general secretary Swapan Debbarma, who had questioned the existence and status of the NDA alliance in Tripura.

Noatia said the party would hold meetings with its district and sub-divisional committees after Durga Puja to formulate its strategy for the next Assembly elections. The meetings are expected to discuss the party’s organisational preparations and its approach to contesting the polls as part of the BJP-led alliance.

The statement indicates that the IPFT leadership intends to continue its association with the NDA while preparing for the next electoral contest. However, the differing public statements by the party president and its general secretary have drawn attention to the internal discussion over the alliance’s status and the party’s political strategy.

Noatia also said that, as a member of the NDA, the IPFT would form 15 Village Committees in accordance with the understanding reached among the alliance partners. The statement comes in the aftermath of the recently concluded TTAADC Village Committee elections, in which the distribution of seats and the formation of local bodies have emerged as important issues for the political parties operating in the tribal areas.

Meanwhile, the IPFT organised a seminar on Sunday at Rabindra Satabarshiki Bhavan in Agartala, bringing together elected Village Committee members, defeated candidates in the Village Committee elections and candidates who had lost in the TTAADC elections. The programme was intended to bring together party representatives and candidates following the recent electoral contests.

Notably, Noatia did not comment on Sunday on the reported incident in which Swapan Debbarma was injured in an alleged attack by Tipra Motha supporters before the TTAADC Village Committee elections. His silence on the incident came amid the public exchange of views within the IPFT leadership over the NDA alliance.

The developments place the IPFT’s post-election organisational activities and its position within the BJP-led NDA under renewed public scrutiny. The proposed meetings after Durga Puja are expected to provide further clarity on the party’s electoral strategy and its plans for strengthening its organisation ahead of the next Assembly elections.

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