With an eye on the assembly elections, Tripura Royal Scion becomes a hot property for the opposition

Tripura was under the rule of the Left parties until 2018, when a huge mandate brought the BJP to power and installed Biplab Deb as the chief minister. However, anti-BJP parties in the state are keen to find an alternative that is acceptable to a large section of the population and are increasingly turning to the Tripura royal family for this. In recent times, Maharaja Pradyot Kishore Manikya has got huge success in the Autonomous District Council elections due to his pro-Greater Tipperland stance. The BJP and its alliance partner Indigenous People’s Front of Triputra (IPFT) suffered a massive defeat in the autonomous region elections. On the other hand, Manikya got a big advantage in the elections.

The Tipraha Swadeshi Progressive Regional Alliance, formed by royal descendants of Tripura, owns 18 of the 28 seats in the Tripura Tribal Autonomous District Council elections held in April.

The clamor for Greater Tipperland is gradually increasing in Tripura. Top of the agenda of ruling coalition partner IPFT was Tipperland, when the coalition came to power in 2018. But even after 3 years of being in government, the BJP-IPFT administration is silent on the matter. Pradyot Kishor Manikya, taking advantage of the opportunity to fill the void, once again raised this issue for Greater Tipperland. Tribal community constitutes about 31 per cent of the population in Tripura, while Bengalis constitute 69 per cent of the population. At least 20 assembly seats in Tripura are reserved for tribals, and winning these seats is crucial for any party that wants to come to power.