Former Tripura CM Biplab Kumar Deb named BJP nominee for West Tripura in Lok Sabha

AGARTALA: The sitting Rajya Sabha member from Tripura and former Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb has been named as BJP candidate for West Tripura Lok Sabha seats replacing the sitting Minister of State for Social Welfare and Empowerment Pratima Bhoumik on Saturday.

The party’s nomination of Deb has brought a wave of celebration among his followers. The Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha has also congratulated him for being nominated as candidate of the party and said, “The winning of Deb and formation of NDA government under Narendra Modi for third time are only a matter of time and people are waiting to celebrate.”

The party sources said the candidate for the East Tripura tribal reserved seat will be announced in the second list of BJP nominees likely to be in next week. After signing an agreement with the main opposition TIPRA Motha, BJP has reportedly been in strategic talks with former party leaders to secure the victory, sources said.

“During the talks with Union Home Minister Amit Shah before signing the tripartite accord, Pradyot Kishore Debbarma and Motha party leaders have agreed to extend their support to BJP candidate in East Tripura seats for upcoming Lok Sabha poll and BJP will support the functioning Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (ADC) functioning under TIPRA Motha,” a senior BJP leader said.

He said that Motha’s support in the Lok Sabha vote has made BJP tension-free in both the seats, as the opposition CPM and Congress don’t have much base among tribals who play an important role in the deciding election results. The former Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Jishnu Dev Varma has been the choice of BJP for East Tripura constituency replacing sitting MP Rabati Tripura.

Despite repeated attempts, Pratima Bhoumik’s reaction to her dropping from the election contest has not been successful. However, her followers in the party state committee expressed their dissatisfaction over the selection of the candidate and said, “Biplab Deb was replaced from the Chief Minister post because his popularity had gone down but again his nomination will cost the party.”

Biplab Kumar Deb came to Tripura in 2015 and in 2017 he became the party president followed by the Chief Minister in 2018. However, within four years in May 2022, Deb was replaced from the post of CM by Dr Manik Saha because of huge anti-incumbency and allegations of misrule. Later, in September 2022 he was elected as a lone member of the Rajya Sabha.

Last year, Deb was made party’s in-charge for Haryana but remained in Tripura core committee.