AGARTALA, Nov 2026 : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has secured 77 seats unopposed in Tripura's upcoming Urban Local Body (ULB) elections after the completion of the nomination withdrawal process on November 10. The State Election Commission (SEC) declared the party's candidates elected unopposed, ahead of polling scheduled for November 27.
According to a senior SEC official, opposition parties and other political formations did not field candidates in 65 seats across five municipal bodies. These include Kamalpur in Dhalai district, Santir Bazar in South Tripura, and Ranir Bazar, Jirania and Mohanpur in West Tripura. Consequently, all 65 BJP candidates in these constituencies were declared elected without a contest.
The BJP secured another 12 seats across three municipal bodies — Ambassa in Dhalai district, Teliamura in Khowai district and Bishalgarh in Sepahijala district — taking its total number of unopposed victories to 77.
The development has prompted strong reactions from opposition parties, with the CPI and Congress accusing the ruling BJP of using intimidation and violence to prevent their candidates from contesting the elections.
CPI Tripura State Secretary and Leader of the Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury alleged that BJP workers and supporters had targeted Left Front leaders, candidates and party members to discourage them from entering the electoral contest. He claimed that more than 20 CPI leaders and members had sustained injuries in incidents reported across several districts.
Chaudhury also alleged that repeated complaints submitted to the police and the SEC had not resulted in adequate action. He further claimed that the state police had failed to comply with a Tripura High Court order directing them to provide security to opposition candidates.
Congress Working Committee member Sudip Roy Barman and Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee president Asish Kumar Saha also accused the ruling party of resorting to intimidation and violence to influence the electoral process. These allegations have been raised by opposition leaders.
The civic elections will be held on November 27 in 16 of Tripura's 21 urban local bodies spread across all eight districts. The Agartala Municipal Corporation is among the civic bodies going to polls.
The CPI and Congress had earlier held discussions to explore a joint electoral arrangement but failed to reach an understanding despite several rounds of negotiations.
With 77 candidates already elected unopposed, polling will take place for the remaining 268 seats. The SEC has reported that 6,29,903 voters are eligible to participate, comprising 3,21,743 women, 3,08,115 men and 45 voters belonging to the third-gender category.
The Agartala Municipal Corporation has 51 seats, while 162 of the total 345 seats across the 21 urban local bodies have been reserved for women. Another 80 seats are reserved for Scheduled Caste candidates and nine for Scheduled Tribe candidates.
The terms of all 21 urban local bodies, including the Agartala Municipal Corporation, are due to expire on December 9. Polling for the remaining seats will be held on November 27, and counting of votes is scheduled for December 2.
