Tripura stands out with cross-votes against Droupadi Murmu, BJP & ally left looking inwards

The additional votes for Sinha have come as a surprise as Tripura has a significant tribal population and a long history of tribal kings who ruled it before its merger with the Indian Union. But it stood out in the Presidential election as the cross-voting happened in the BJP camp, that too against the first tribal woman bidding for the country’s highest office.

The BJP stormed to power in Tripura in 2018 for the first time with 36 MLAs in the 60-member Assembly. Though its tally went down following the resignations of two MLAs and the disqualification of one who joined the Trinamool Congress, the MLA count was back to 36 after its recent bypoll wins. The IPFT, meanwhile, won eight seats in the elections but its effective strength is down to six because of Jamatia and Debbarma. The CPI(M) has 15 MLAs in the House while the Congress, which was reduced to zero in 2018, reopened its account with one victory in the recent by-elections.

BJP spokesperson Nabendu Bhattacharya told The Indian Express that the party was aware of the cross-voting and was looking into the matter. Indirectly pointing fingers at the IPFT, he said, “Our senior party leaders are looking into it. The Presidential voting was a secret ballot. We don’t think anyone from our party voted against our party candidate. Still, two extra votes went in favour of the Opposition and our issue senior leaders will discuss the issue.”

Asked if IPFT legislators might have cross-voted, the BJP leader said, “We have an ally. This issue has not been discussed with them yet. I think they will be able to clarify this issue. Perhaps, this discussion may be held with them later.”

When Murmu visited Tripura earlier this month for a day, IPFT leader and minister Prem Kumar Reang said his party was confident that six of its eight MLAs would support the NDA candidate, insinuating that Jamatia and Debbarma would break ranks. But the Simna MLA who last year joined the TIPRA Motha, which is in power in the Autonomous District Council (ADC), abstained in the Presidential vote. Though he resigned from the Assembly after quitting the IPFT, it has not been accepted yet. Jamatia, meanwhile, has been laying low since a rivalry with party founder and chief NC Debbarma led to him being dropped from the state Cabinet and as the party’s general secretary a couple of months ago.

A senior IPFT leader, when asked about the cross-voting issue, said, “We haven’t discussed the issue with our supremo NC Debbarma yet. We shall speak on this after discussion.”

BJP’s struggles

Not just the IPFT, all is not well in the state BJP too. Six months after MLAs Sudip Roy Barman and Ashish Kumar Saha resigned from the Assembly and rejoined the Congress — Roy Barman was re-elected to the Assembly last month in the Agartala bypoll — BJP legislator Arun Chandra Bhowmik, a veteran lawyer-turned-politician, on Saturday was seen in a video calling for the resignation of Law Minister Ratan Lal Nath. The MLA from Belonia in south Tripura was heard saying that he was prepared to go to Delhi to meet the party’s central leadership to press his demand. Bhowmik accused Nath of misbehaving with him over his request to fill the vacant positions in Belonia College following the recent transfer of two professors.

But later in the day, the legislator apologised to Nath even as he claimed he was standing by his remarks. The MLA told The Indian Express that Chief Minister Manik Saha asked him to put the issue to bed by apologising to the education minister. “I have said that if he was hurt due to my comments, I am sorry. But for the betterment of Tripura, I still stand by my comments where I said he should be removed from the education ministry. I am ready to bear any consequences.”

A senior political observer said, “Some are waiting on the fence, waiting for the chance to jump to the Opposition. It’s difficult to say who exactly cross-voted but it might be from either the BJP or the IPFT. There are reports that people from BJP are keeping in touch with Opposition parties, including the Congress, and if they have done it, it won’t be surprising.”