Tripura BJP appoints mandal chiefs for 60 constituencies

Agartala: Amid factional fights, BJP Tripura state committee Monday announced the names of its mandal (assembly constituency) presidents, marking a historic first with the induction of two women in the top post.
BJP state chief and Rajya Sabha MP Rajib Bhattacharjee said as decided by the national committee, the party brought in young, educated and promising leaders. About 95% of them are fresh faces. The appointment of mandal presidents will be followed by the election of the booth committee. In the next two weeks, the state party president will be elected before the election of the new national president, he added.
"This organisational overhaul includes committees from the booth level to the state level. We initiated the process in October, following an extensive membership drive that successfully enrolled additional members. Since Nov 11, we have conducted elections and formed booth-level committees across 3,352 booths in the state," he said.
He further outlined the timeline, stating that mandal committees were formed between Dec 1 and 15. After detailed consultations and discussions, the party finalised 60 mandal presidents, one for each mandal in Tripura, which was also approved at both the state and central committee of the party.
"Numerous candidates expressed interest in the mandal president posts. However, we implemented specific criteria, such as a maximum age limit of 45 years, to ensure the inclusion of young leaders. The selection process was rigorous and comprehensive," he added.
Among the newly appointed mandal presidents, the representation includes 23.3% from the scheduled tribes (STs), 18.3% from the scheduled castes (SC), 36.7% from the general category, and 21.7% from OBC.