Tipra Motha founder Pradyot Kishore Debbarma on Sunday appealed to his followers to refrain from violence during and after the counting of votes for the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) Village Committee elections, scheduled to begin at 8 am on Monday.

In a social live-stream, Debbarma urged people not to engage in fights in villages over the election results, saying victory and defeat were integral to the democratic process.

“After a wait of 10 years, the elections to the Village Committees were held and counting is scheduled to take place on Monday. I appeal to all Tiprasa people not to indulge in ‘marpeet’ in the villages during or after counting,” he said.

Debbarma said supporters of rival political parties should accept the electoral verdict without turning political differences into personal confrontations.

“In an election, one side will win while another side will face defeat. This is universal,” he said, adding that attacks on defeated candidates and their supporters would ultimately harm the interests of the Tiprasa community.

His appeal comes against the backdrop of tensions during the election process. On September 28, a Tipra Motha candidate was shot at Warenbari in Gomati district, triggering tension in the area. Two suspects were subsequently arrested in connection with the incident.

Questioning the rationale behind clashes among Tiprasa people over their political affiliations, Debbarma said such confrontations would weaken the community and undermine its efforts to pursue broader political and constitutional issues concerning the indigenous population of Tripura.

He also referred to his legal efforts to ensure that the Village Committee elections were held, saying he had pursued the matter in the Supreme Court in the interests of the Tiprasa people rather than any particular political organisation.

Debbarma said the struggle had helped bring issues concerning Tripura's indigenous population into the wider political discourse in the Northeast.

“If we fight among ourselves now, people will mock us,” he said, warning against divisions within the community.