Why This ‘Royal’ Gau Rakshak, The BJP’s Surprise Nominee For Tripura East, Is Looking At A Huge Victory

Many in Tripura were surprised by the BJP’s choice of ‘Maharani’ Kriti Singh Debbarma, the younger daughter of Tripura’s last king, Maharaja Kirit Bikram Kishore Manikya Debbarma, as its candidate for the Tripura East Lok Sabha seat. 

The 52-year-old ‘Maharani’ has never lived in Tripura and married into the Kawardha royal family of Chhattisgarh. Her parents and siblings had long associations with the Congress, and her husband, ‘Maharaja’ Yogeshwar Raj Singh, has served as the Congress MLA from Kawardha Assembly constituency twice (1998 and 2003). 

But Kriti Singh Debbarma has taken to becoming a BJP candidate like a fish to water. A feisty lady, she launched her election campaign Saturday (March 30), two days after filing her nomination papers, with proper gusto. 

The Tripura East Lok Sabha constituency is reserved for Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates and tribals (predominantly Tripuris) form a majority of the electorate. This is a stronghold of the Tipra Motha party which was founded by her brother, the titular ‘Maharaja’ Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma a few years ago to protect the interests of the tribals of the state. 

The Tipra Motha had been demanding a separate ‘Tiprasa’ state comprising the tribal-dominated hill areas of the state. The Union Government signed an agreement with the Motha and the Tripura government in early March to arrive at a “time-bound and honourable solution” to the demands of the tribals with regard to their political, economic, land, linguistic and cultural rights. 

After this agreement, the Motha joined the BJP-led government in the state and two of its nominees were inducted into the state cabinet. Pradyot Debbarma also prevailed on the BJP to nominate his sister (Kriti Singh Debbarma) as the BJP candidate for the Tripura East seat. 

The Motha, and Pradyot Debbarma, are very popular among the Tripuris (the royal family is Tripuri). The BJP also wields a lot of influence in the Tripura East seat, both among the tribals and the non-tribals. 

Of the 30 Assembly segments in this seat, the BJP won 15 in the 2023 Assembly elections while Tipra Motha bagged eight. 

With the two political parties combining forces, victory for Kriti Singh Debbarma is a foregone conclusion. There is only speculation now on what her victory margin will be. 

Incidentally, Kriti Singh’s father (‘Maharaja’ Kirit Bikram Kishore Manikya Debbarma) won this seat on a Congress ticket thrice: in 1967, 1977 and 1989. Her mother, ‘Maharani’ Bibhu Kumari Devi, won the seat (on a Congress ticket) in 1991. 

But Kriti’s elder sister Pragya, who fought the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from this seat on a Congress ticket, was defeated by the BJP’s Rebati Tripura by a margin of over two lakh votes. 

That electoral fight, however, has been forgotten and Rebati accompanied Kriti when she filed her nomination Thursday (March 28) at Ambassa, the headquarters of Dhalai district. The charismatic Pradyot Debbarma, of course, was a powerful presence amongst his siblings. 

Thursday’s rally at Ambassa was a joint show of force, and unity, by the BJP-Tipra Motha combine. Apart from the three royals, top BJP leaders including Chief Minister Manik Saha, state BJP chief Rajiv Bhattacharjee and senior ministers were present and addressed large and enthusiastic crowds. 

Thursday was also the day that marked the beginning of Kriti Singh Debbarma’s association with the BJP. 

And quite fittingly, she started the day by worshipping at a small temple dedicated to the ‘Kuldevi’ (family deity) — Mangal Chandi (a form of Mahadevi) — at the family’s Ujjayanta Palace in Agartala. 

A short prayer and some brief rituals later, Kriti Debbarma then prayed before a tulsi plant before feeding rotis to a cow and soaked grams. 

“This is my morning ritual everywhere, be it the Ujjayanta Palace or the Kawardha Palace. I pray, offer pujas and then feed cows and animals. My day cannot start without feeding cows,” she tells Swarajya. 

Kriti, who studied at a boarding school in Shillong, is a passionate animal lover and animal rights activist. She runs a huge gaushala in Kawardha which shelters aged and abandoned cattle. She also runs a shelter for stray dogs and cats there.

Her commitment towards animal welfare is genuine and complete: she doesn’t use any leather articles and even her footwear is made of fabrics. No fancy leather handbags or fur stoles for this ‘Maharani’!

A quick breakfast later, she gets on to an SUV to journey to Ambassa, about 82 kilometres away. Her brother, Pradyot, and elder sister Pragya, also get in and the three of them spend their journey discussing the forthcoming elections. 

“She (Kriti) is not a novice in politics as many may think. Our parents were active politicians and we grew up in quite a political atmosphere. We have, while growing up, interacted closely with many senior politicians not only of Tripura but also national-level political leaders,” says Pradyot. 

The siblings discuss the election strategy, modalities of the campaign, which areas to concentrate on, how to coordinate with the BJP and what issues to highlight. 

Halfway through the journey, Pradyot receives a call from Chief Minister Manik Saha informing him that Saha is about to reach Ambassa. 

The siblings realise they are still about an hour away from Ambassa and need to pick up speed. Kriti asks the driver of their SUV to hop into a rear seat and she takes the wheels of the vehicle. Turns out she is a pro. 

She hits the accelerator and very soon, even the police escort vehicles are left far behind as she expertly steers the SUV through the smooth, winding hills roads that cut through forests and small idyllic villages set amidst paddy fields, pineapple orchards and rubber plantations. 

Kriti Debbarma prefers to be in the driving seat, figuratively speaking, most of the time. She’s a hands-on person who is passionate about whatever she does: managing the gaushala, promoting sustainable farming and indigenous crops at Kawardha, or running the heritage hotel on her family estate. 

“I have many passions ranging from taking care of animals to rural and sustainable development, heritage conservation and environment protection,” she says. 

But she is a woman of few words, at least in public. She believes in deeds, rather than words. 

That is why her brother (Pradyot) is a bit concerned. Kriti doesn’t like to deliver speeches and prefers to utter just a few words in public. But that won’t do, not for a politician. 

However, there is no doubting Kriti’s political acumen. She instinctively knows who to exchange a word with, how to connect with her supporters through a smile or personal gesture, and how to make even seasoned politicians feel at ease. All done, of course, with a regal touch. 

“I’m very clear in my mind about what I want to achieve as an MP. I will push for and ensure the implementation of the commitment made to the tribals of Tripura in the (recent) tripartite agreement between the Government of India, the state government and the Tipra Motha. I’ll focus on the sustainable development of my constituency. There’s a lot of work to be done,” she says. 

Kriti Debbarma says her rich experience in organic farming, rainwater harvesting, developing and preserving indigenous varieties of crops and horticulture will benefit Tripura.

“I know about all this and as an MP, I will not only be able to get central agencies to undertake projects in these fields in Tripura but also get private investments for such projects. I will ensure that local people are made strong stakeholders in all such projects,” she tells Swarajya. 

Upon reaching Dalubari, about 1.5 kilometres short of Ambassa town, Kriti and her siblings hop onto an open jeep. Chief Minister Manik Saha joins them and amidst cheering crowds of BJP and Tipra Motha supporters, beating of drums and BJP campaign songs and slogans blaring from sound boxes loaded on minitrucks, a huge convoy makes its way to the BJP party office in Ambassa. 

On a small stage erected in front of the party office, Chief Minister Saha, the Debbarma siblings, incumbent Lok Sabha MP Rebati Tripura, the two Tipra Motha ministers in the state cabinet, BJP state chief and transport minister Sushanta Chowdhury present a united front. 

There is a loud display of camaraderie between the royals and BJP leaders, and the two sides pledge to work together for the development of the state. They also declare victory (for Kriti) from the stage before leaving for the deputy commissioner’s office about 5 kilometres away to file Kriti’s nomination papers. 

The formalities are over in a little less than an hour. It is nearly 2 pm by then, and everyone leaves for Agartala. By the time Kriti and her siblings pass through the massive gates of the Baijayanta Palace, it is dusk. 

Kriti hurries through a bath and rushes to the small Mangal Chandi mandir in the inner courtyard of the palace for the evening puja. After puja, it is time to feed the cows. She just doesn’t feed them, she also speaks softly to them and caresses them before sending them away to the gaushala. 

After that, it’s ‘family time’ in the private quarters. The siblings retire to the inner part of the palace. The first day in politics for Kriti has been quite tiring for her. But this, her brother tells her, is nothing compared to the gruelling campaign that will follow over the next couple of weeks. An unfazed Kriti says she is prepared.