Agartala, October 31, 2026: Tripura Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha said on Saturday that the state is fully prepared for the urban local body elections, announced a day earlier, and expects the ruling party to repeat its strong performance from the last civic polls.
Speaking to reporters in Agartala, Saha said the party’s candidate in the Agartala Municipal Corporation is M.C. Sudip. He said the party would campaign on four main issues: law and order, development across the state, building public trust in the government, and countering what he called efforts to destabilise the country and change its system of governance.
Because these are local body elections, Saha said the party would focus on roads, drinking water, the development of lakes and ponds, repairs to narrow lanes, and electricity projects in towns.
Turning to the opposition, Saha said opposition parties always take a different position, but that voters know “who works and who did not deliver” even after holding power more than once. He said the current government, in office since 2018, had worked for the most vulnerable citizens and left little room for the opposition in people’s minds. He also said the party had no objection to rallies such as the INDIA bloc’s, and added that the turnout at the day’s ‘Run for Unity’ programme would speak for itself.
The State Election Commission announced the schedule on October 30. Polls will be held in 21 urban local bodies with 345 seats, including 51 in the Agartala Municipal Corporation. Nominations will be filed from October 31 to November 6, and candidates can withdraw until November 10. Voting is on November 27, with counting on December 2. The Model Code of Conduct is in force in the urban areas.
In the previous civic polls in 2021, the BJP won 217 of 222 seats, according to reports at the time. Opposition parties alleged rigging and intimidation in those polls.
