Agartala: BJP and its ally Tipra Motha on Sunday agreed in principle to contest Tripura’s upcoming urban local body elections together under the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) banner.The decision was taken at a meeting of senior leaders at State Guest House. The two parties agreed to improve coordination among NDA partners and prepare a shared election strategy.State power minister Ratan Lal Nath, who chaired the meeting, described the discussions as constructive. He said both parties supported contesting the civic polls together.Tipra Motha also put forward several proposals, which are now with senior BJP leaders and have yet to be finalised.Nath said the effort aimed to bring all NDA partners to contest civic polls as a team. Nath also referred to Tipra Motha’s earlier support for fighting the ADC village committee elections under the NDA banner.BJP had discussed the proposal within its organisation before Sunday’s meeting, Nath said, adding that the talks come as the ruling alliance seeks to stay united ahead of the polls.Meanwhile, CM Manik Saha chaired a separate meeting of BJP’s state unit on Sunday and discussed election plans, coordination and candidate selection. He said BJP would not tolerate political violence.Asked about reports of an attack on CPM workers in Kamalpur, Dhalai district, Saha said violence and efforts to create unrest were unacceptable. He added that he would seek more information before drawing any conclusions.Saha said BJP wanted the elections to be peaceful and had instructed its workers not to obstruct opposition candidates or supporters from filing nomination papers.“The Opposition often makes allegations against us. We have told our workers not to interfere with anyone or stop candidates from filing their nominations,” he said.
