Exodus of at least seven MLAs in the past one year has become a worry for the ruling BJP-IPFT alliance in poll-bound Tripura amid growing calls for unity of the Opposition parties.
What has added to the worry of both BJP and IPFT is that the MLAs, who quit the ruling parties, blamed that the coalition government failed to fulfill the promises it made before coming to power for the first time in Tripura in 2018.
"People voted us to power because we made a lot of promises to the people. In the past four years as a minister, I have also reminded the Centre and the BJP leaders about the promises we made. But the promises for welfare of the people have still remained," Mevar Kumar Jamatia, former minister and a prominent leader of Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) told reporters at Agartala on Tuesday after resigning as an MLA.
Jamatia, 53, who was reportedly disappointed after he was not given ministerial berth under Manik Saha government, is the third IPFT MLAs to have resigned in the past one year. Jamatia joined the Tipra Motha, a forum of regional political parties led by Royal scion Pradyot Kishore Deb Barma, on Wednesday.
Earlier, two other IPFT MLAs, Brishaketu Debbarma and Dhananjoy Tripura quit and joined TIPRA Motha, which is now in power of Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTADC). There are at least 20 Assembly seats under the council areas.
The resignations reduced the IPFT tally in the 60 member Assembly to five now. Sources said the three MLAs quit due to growing influence of Pradyot's party in the council areas.
BJP, too, has lost four MLAs, who joined Congress and TIPRA Motha. Sudip Roy Barman and Ashis Kumar Saha joined Congress and contested the bypolls in June. Barman, who led the dissidence against former CM Biplab Kumar Deb, won the bypolls and got reelected to the Assembly as the lone Congress MLA. Saha, however, lost to BJP's Manik Saha, who was replaced as CM in May. Burba Mohan Tripura, another BJP MLA, switched over to TIPRA Motha.
Opposition unity
Opposition CPI(M) and Congress are repeatedly talking about unity of the opposition parties to deny BJP the second term. Roy Barman, soon after getting reelected made the first call for unity of the Opposition parties.
Former CM and senior CPI(M) leader Manik Sarkar on Tuesday said they were trying to unite the "secular forces" against BJP, but both did not say anything concrete about the possible opposition alliance ahead of the elections. Trinamool Congress too has been talking about unity of the Opposition forces.
The Opposition parties are also increasingly focusing on the BJP-led government's failure to meet the 2018 promises. This included 50,000 jobs and a new pay commission for the employees.