In a major shift from its 2018 campaign that targeted the Left Front that then ruled Tripura, the ruling BJP is this time focusing on good governance as its prime poll agenda.
The shift is seen as an effort to galvanise its support base in favour of a narrative of development vis-à-vis the opposition Left-Congress campaign that is concentrated on attacking the BJP over alleged political violence and assaults on democratic institutions under its watch.
Tripura, which used to be princely state ruled by the erstwhile Manikya monarchs, merged with the Indian Union in 1949, two years after Independence, on its own accord. The state became a Union Territory from a Chief Commissioner-led Territorial Council in 1962, and got its first government under the Congress. Since then, the state was ruled by the Congress for 19-and-a-half years in two phases, and for 35 years by the CPI(M)-led Left Front – also in two phases. Till the BJP took over, with ally IPFT in 2018.
When the BJP launched its campaign last time, three years before the actual elections in 2018, led by Biplab Kumar Deb, the party’s focus was the alleged misrule of the long-serving Left government. It talked of alleged deprivation of 7th Central Pay Commission benefits to government employees, lack of jobs, and joblessness of 10,323 school teachers whose termination was approaching at the time of the 2018 elections.
Among its major promises in 2018 was the assurance that if voted to power, it would institute a CBI probe into the killing of two journalists during the last days of the Left rule. It also promised to provide one ‘employment opportunity’ to every household, free education for women till graduation, 7th CPC benefits for all state government employees, free smartphones to youths, minimum monthly social security pension of Rs. 2,000, Rs. 340 minimum wages for unskilled work, housing benefits for everyone without pucca houses, free health insurance for BPL families, regularisation of contractual government employees, to name a few.
Five years later, the party claims it has fulfilled all its promises, and more. In the words of BJP president J P Nadda, “Jo bola tha, wo kiya hain, jo nahi bola tha, wo bhi kar ke diya hain (We have done what we promised, we have also done what we didn’t promise).”
While the Opposition, especially the Congress-CPI(M) block and the TIPRA Motha, blame the BJP for lack of governance, breakdown in law and order, crisis of jobs and livelihood under its watch, the BJP is now appealing voters to give them a second chance for continued good governance or “sushashan”.
Highlighting its performances in its report card, the Manik Saha government has also made new promises. Given the uncertainty over the important tribal vote this time, its ‘Sankalp Patra 2023’ or poll manifesto puts the highest focus on tribal welfare, with lofty assurances of greater autonomy to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), Constitutional amendment to pass the 125th amendment bill pending in Parliament, grant greater legislative, financial and administrative powers to the Tribal Council, apart from financial assistance of Rs 5,000 to each tribal family and a host of freebies like free scooterette and free smartphones for college-going girls, two free cylinders to beneficiaries of the Ujjwala Yojana, etc.
During their visits to the state, the BJP’s star campaigners have emphasised its activities and performances in the past five years, and compared it to that of past Left and Congress governments.
They have been highlighting initiatives taken to provide safe drinking water to rural families, housing benefits under the PM Awas Yojana, Ayushman Bharat health cards, and compared the achievements of five years with performance of 25 years of the previous Left government.
But, at the end of the day, the BJP’s poll campaign is still focused on criticising the Left-Congress partnership, and taking credit for central government schemes. Little is being said about the state government’s own schemes or projects, barring a few ambitious initiatives like a permanent settlement for the 37,000 Bru migrants from Mizoram.
Speaking about their poll strategy this year, BJP spokesperson Nabendu Bhattacharya said, “Our aim was to dislodge the Left government to make people free from its misrule. Now, we want to continue our development activities we began five years ago.”
He said that the state’s outlook has changed in five years. People no longer live in fear and can take part in political activities without feeling any pressure from political parties. “The scene was different during the Left regime. People used to be forced to join party programmes,” he said.
Long before the poll bugle was sounded, the BJP-led state government started publishing report cards of different departments, on initiatives taken in different sectors, be it 33 per cent reservation for women in government jobs, subsidised loans for entrepreneurs, free education for girls in colleges, hiked social security pensions, medical facilities for pregnant women, housing benefits or financial assistance for farmers, etc.
BJP national president JP Nadda, along with Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha, waves at supporters during an election campaign meeting for the Tripura Legislative Assembly elections, in Agartala, February 9, 2023. (PTI) 
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