Tripura Assembly polls: BJP releases list of 48 candidates, 11 women included, 6 sitting MLAs dropped

New Delhi [India], January 28 (ANI): The Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday announced its first list of 48 candidates for the Tripura Assembly polls, fielding Union minister Pratima Bhoumik from Dhanpur.

Six of the party’s sitting MLAs have not been given tickets for the upcoming polls. Vimmi Majumdar, Subhash Chandra Das, Arun Chandra Bhowmik, Virendra Kishore Dev Burman, Parimal Debbarma, Viplav Kumar are those MLAs whose tickets have been struck off. Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha will contest the upcoming state assembly polls from the Town Bordowali constituency.

Party leaders Anil Baluni and Sambit Patra on Saturday announced the BJP’s candidates for the Tripura assembly polls at a press conference in the party headquarters here. For the first time, 11 women candidates have been given tickets in the state assembly election.

11 women candidates’ names include Union Minister Pratima Bhowmik Dhanpur, Santana Chakma Pechanthal, Malina Devnath, Jubraj Nagar Suchitra Dev Verma, Ambasa, Patal Kanya Jamatiya, Ompinagar, Antaradev Sarkar, Kamalasagar, Kalyani Rai, Teliamura, Himani Dev Verma, Golaghati, Meena Rani Sarkar, Badarghat Sapna Mazumdar, Rajnagar. Out of 20 seats reserved for the Schedule Tribes, twelve candidates are to be announced soon.

Md Moboshar Ali who joined the party leaving the CPIM on Friday will contest from Kailashahar. The state BJP chief Rajib Bhattacharjee will contest the polls from Banamalipur. “The central government has worked for the development of the North East, whether it is cleanliness campaign, water supply, home arrangements and other facilities have been made available to the public through many schemes,” Patra said.

Tripura BJP state president Rajeev Bhattacharya will contest from Biplab Dev’s seat in Banmalipur this time. Notably, the meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party Central Election Committee (CEC) was held on January 27 under the chairmanship of BJP National President Jagat Prakash Nadda. In the meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah and other members of the CEC were present.

Accordingly, the CEC has given its approval on the names for the upcoming assembly elections in 2023 in Tripura. In Tripura, the BJP first took office as the state’s head of state in 2018, ending the CPI(M)’s 20-year reign. Elections for the 60-member Tripura assembly are scheduled for February 16. Nominations must be submitted by January 30. On March 2, the vote tally will be discussed.