Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman has described the recently concluded Village Committee elections as an encouraging sign for the party’s efforts to rebuild its organisational base in the tribal areas of Tripura.
Speaking after the election results, Roy Barman said the Congress had entered the polls with limited expectations in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) region, where the party has faced organisational challenges for several years.
He said the emergence of Congress-backed independent candidates as winners was significant for the party. According to Roy Barman, around 14 such candidates have secured victories so far, while the figure could increase to 20–22 after the final results are compiled.
“The Congress has just started walking,” Roy Barman said, referring to the party’s efforts to establish a stronger political presence in the hills. He recalled that the Congress had, at different times, relied on regional political forces such as TUJS, IPFT, INPT and TNV to maintain its presence in the tribal areas.
The Congress MLA further claimed that some of the victorious independent candidates supported by the party could formally join the Congress in the coming days.
Roy Barman also commented on the performance of the BJP and the manner in which the results were being presented politically. He claimed that the BJP secured around 18.7 per cent of the seats on its own and alleged that the party was largely highlighting the broader NDA tally.
He contrasted this with Tipra Motha, saying that the regional party was presenting its victories under its own banner rather than projecting them as an NDA achievement.
However, Roy Barman said the Congress did not seek to diminish the electoral success of other parties. “Irrespective of political affiliation, we congratulate all those who have won,” he said.
Looking ahead, Roy Barman said the Congress was also preparing for the forthcoming municipal elections. He indicated that the party could contest independently if the CPI(M) also chooses to fight the elections on its own.
