BJP Ally IPFT Demands Bihar-Style Voter Roll Revision in Tripura

The Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT), a key ally of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Tripura, has intensified calls for a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the state’s electoral rolls, modeled after Bihar’s recent voter list overhaul. The demand, aimed at ensuring electoral integrity, follows a similar push by another BJP ally, the Tipra Motha Party (TMP), highlighting growing concerns over alleged illegal immigration in the northeastern state.

On August 1, a four-member IPFT delegation, led by party president Prem Kumar Reang, met Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in New Delhi to submit a memorandum pressing for the SIR. “We’ve urged the Election Commission to conduct a thorough revision to ensure no genuine citizen is disenfranchised,” said IPFT general secretary Swapan Debbarma. The party emphasized that the exercise must safeguard the voting rights of Tripura’s indigenous communities, who form about 30-33% of the state’s population, with 20 of the 60 assembly seats reserved for tribal communities.

The call for SIR comes amid fears of demographic shifts due to unchecked immigration, particularly across Tripura’s 856-km porous border with Bangladesh. IPFT’s demand echoes TMP’s earlier plea, which warned that failure to address illegal voters could marginalize indigenous Tiprasa people and threaten national security. The Election Commission has reportedly assured both parties that a nationwide SIR, including Tripura, is under consideration, with a door-to-door verification process similar to Bihar’s model.

Also Read: Tripura CM Condemns Coalition Partner After BJP Worker Assault

IPFT also announced plans for a massive rally on August 23 at Agartala’s Swami Vivekananda Ground to mark ‘Sixth Schedule Day,’ shifting the event from its traditional venue at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. The rally, timed ahead of the 2026 Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) elections, will underscore the party’s demand for Tipraland—a separate state encompassing TTAADC areas, which cover 95% of reserved tribal seats. A memorandum reiterating this demand will be submitted to Union Home Minister Amit Shah via Governor N Indrasena Reddy.

The IPFT’s push for Tipraland has been a cornerstone of its political agenda since its rise in the 2018 assembly elections, where it secured 14 of the 20 ST-reserved seats, helping the BJP-led coalition oust the Left Front after 25 years in power. However, the demand for SIR has sparked debate, with opposition parties like Congress warning that a Bihar-style revision could inadvertently disenfranchise tribal and low-income voters, potentially affecting IPFT’s own support base.

Tensions within the BJP-led coalition have also surfaced, with the state BJP unit remaining silent on the SIR demand, focusing instead on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) to protect Bengali Hindu migrants who arrived before December 2014. Recent clashes between BJP and TMP supporters have further strained ties, with Chief Minister Manik Saha condemning political violence. As Tripura gears up for the TTAADC polls, the SIR debate underscores the delicate balance between electoral fairness, indigenous rights, and coalition dynamics.

Also Read: Tripura CM Gears Up for Tribal Council Polls