Six Trinamool Congress MLAs to join BJP in August

GUWAHATI: What is expected to provide bigger platform for BJP in Tripura, six MLAs of Trinmool congress will join BJP in the first week of August.

Defying party supremo Mamata Banerjee's decision to party leaders to vote for UPA nominee Meira Kumar, six TMC MLAs have voted for NDA’s presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind.

Earlier BJP had set May 31, 2017 as deadline for joining of these MLAs.

Prominent TMC leader Sudip Roy Barman told ET, “We will join BJP on August 6 or 7. The date is no final yet.”

Six MLAs are likely to meet BJP national President, Amit Shah in New Delhi on August 1. BJP is organizing massive public rally in Agartala on August 9. Left front ruled Tripura is going to polls next year.

A senior BJP leader in Tripura who do not want to be quoted told ET, “The 9 August meeting will see joining of several tribal leaders, BJP has been able to make huge inroads in the tribal areas which is the main support base of ruling Left Front government in the state.”

BJP is keen to stitch alliance with tribal parties INPT (Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura), IPFT (Indigenous People's Front of Tripura) and NCT (National Conference of Tripura).

A senior BJP said, “Convenor of BJP floated platform of non-congress parties, Northeast Democratic Alliance (NEDA)Himanta Biswa Sarma had couple of rounds of meetings with these parties. BJP is trying to cobble up grand alliance of opposition parties to take on Left Front.”

Recently Tripura witnessed 10 day blocked of the National Highway and lone railway line in Tripura in support of separate state demand. Another organisation, Twipraland State Party (TSP) has threatened to launch state-wide stir in support of Twipraland.

In Tripura a third of the 60 assembly seats are reserved for tribal.