SAFFRON SURGE
main target is to destroy the Left , he adds .
There , Sarkar is not way off the mark : Tripura is only one of the two remaining Left-ruled states ( the other being Kerala ). A win in Tripura , if it happens , will all the more satisfy the BJP since it is a dir ect ideological fight in the state .
WHILE the RSS is not that strong in the state , the BJP ’ s Deodhar says the Van vasi Kalyan Ashram had been a presence in the tribal areas . The party is paying special attention to the tribal voters who constitute a third of the state ’ s population and have largely remained under-developed . To make a dent in tribal areas , the BJP has allied with the Indigenous People ’ s Front of Tri pura ( IPFT ), a party with a presence in the state ’ s tribal belt . Even as CM Sar kar dubs this alliance “ Machiave llian ”, alleging the IPFT has linkages with an extremist group , the saffron party is upbeat about its prospects in the tribal belt that has traditionally voted for the CPI ( M ). North Eastern Democratic Alli ance convenor Himanta Biswa Sarma played a crucial role in stitching up the alliance .
Sarma , an Assamese , has the numbers on his fingertips . Of the total 60 assembly seats , 20 are reserved for the Scheduled Tribes . The BJP is contesting 11 of those and ally IPFT nine . He ridicules allegations against the IPFT . “ The sense of deprivation is the strongest in
ROAD SHOW A poll rally in Agartala by BJP national president Amit Shah
the region . They kept voting for the CPI ( M ) since there was no alternative . Now they have an alternative and are looking at the BJP-IPFT with great expectations ,” Sarma tells Outlook . “ We will win 15 of the 20 tribal seats . And get a total of 37-42 seats .”
Sarma may be exaggerating , but the tribal population is definitely looking for a change . A visit to Charilam ( ST ) seat reveals the story of neglect : an unfinished bridge , missing roads , a school without
At poll rallies , CM Manik Sarkar calls for votes against a “ divisive ” BJP that can “ destroy the state ’ s moral fabric ”. teachers and paucity of potable water . “ I became disillusioned with the CPI ( M ) and its broken promises ,” says BJP district vice-president Amulya Debbarma , who joined the party last year after 25 years with CPI ( M ).
The BJP also tried to rope in young Pradyot Bikram Manikya Deb Burman from a former ruling family to improve its chances in tribal areas . The prince , who ’ s working president of the state Congress , is believed to have refused despite being offered a Rajya Sabha seat . Speaking to Outlook , he merely smiles and refuses to confirm the BJP offer . “ There was something but let ’ s just say , I am still with Congress ,” he says , and does not believe the BJP is going to have it easy .
Deodhar says MNREGA figures show areas more than entire Tripura having been dug in the state to make ponds . “ By this standard , we ( third-smallest state in the cou ntry ) should have been under water ,” he says , trying to take the sheen off the Manik Sarkar government . After a union rural development ministry directive , Tripura has managed to geo-tag only seven per cent of the works it had claimed to have completed ,” he adds .
Vikas Debbarma of Jortali village in Charilam claims to have seen contractors paying off the CPI ( M ) cadres and disappearing without completing work . “ The time has come for change . We are willing to give a chance to the BJP ,” he says . O
24 OUTLOOK 26 February 2018