BJP Drops Pratima Bhoumik For Biplab Kumar Deb For Tripura West Lok Sabha Seat (image-X/BjpBiplab)
Former Chief Minister of Tripura and Rajya Sabha MP, Biplab Kumar Deb, has been named as the BJP’s candidate for Tripura West Lok Sabha constituency. The seat, which includes the state capital Agartala, is currently vacant as Pratima Bhowmik, the incumbent member of Parliament, was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the state.
Tripura West Lok Sabha constituency has over 30 assembly segments including the capital Agartala, Ramnagar, Mohanpur, Dhanpur, Pratapgarh, Rajnagar among others. The Tripura constituency has been under the governance of CPI(M) in 2009 and 2014 general elections with an overwhelming margin in both years. However, in 2019, the BJP’s Pratima Bhoumik secured 51 percent votes with a huge margin, beating Congress candidate Subai Bhowmik’s 24 percent votes.
The decision to nominate Deb as the candidate for the Tripura West constituency came as a surprise with Bhowmik, who won in the 2019 elections with an overwhelming majority, was dropped from the list of candidates announced for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Deb’s parents were migrant refugees from East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) during the 1971 war. After finishing his schooling and graduation in Tripura University, he moved to New Delhi, only to return to Tripura 15 years later.
Biplab Kumar Deb’s political trajectory has been marked by notable achievements and controversies. He rose through the ranks of the BJP, serving as the President of the Tripura state unit before assuming the role of Chief Minister in 2018.
However, his tenure was not devoid of controversies, with his remarks, often bordering on absurdity, on various subjects sparking nationwide criticism. From claims about the existence of the Internet and satellite during the Mahabharata era, and his advice to keep a cow or open a paan shop instead of chasing government jobs to Punjabi and Jat people having “limited brains,” Deb’s political career stands out with headline-grabbing remarks all around.
On Tuesday, Biplab Kumar Das said that the party would fight the elections based solely on the Prime Minister and his promises. He confidently stated, “Modi has the solution to the development of Tripura. I see Modi ji from up close. You have chosen Modi ji twice. The entire country has decided to choose Modi ji for a third term,” as quoted by Indian Express.
