The BJP on Saturday announced its first list of 48 candidates for the Tripura Assembly polls, fielding Union minister Pratima Bhoumik from Dhanpur. The party, which is currently in power in the north-eastern state, is contesting the forthcoming elections in the state alone, and will file nominations for all 60 seats, the party's state president Rajib Bhattacharjee said after his return to the state late Friday night from New Delhi along with other senior leaders.
Mr Bhattacharjee said the list was finalised following a meeting of the BJP's central election committee and the parliamentary committee. BJP candidates consist of representatives from various committees including of scheduled castes, tribes, OBCs, minorities, and women, he said.
State Chief Minister Manik Saha has been nominated as a BJP candidate from Town Bordowali. Ms Bhoumik is a Union minister in the BJP-led government at the Centre. She is an MP from Tripura.
The BJP came to power in the state for the first time in 2018 after defeating CPI(M), which ruled the state for 25 years continuously.
The BJP top brass was in talks with TIPRA, a regional party founded by former Congress leader and royal scion Pradyot Deb Barman, for a pre-poll alliance, which has now been ruled out.
However, Mr Bhattacharjee claimed that talks are still on with the alliance partner IPFT.
AdvertisementOn CPI(M)'s MLA Moboshar Ali and former Trinamool state president Subal Bhowmik joining the BJP, he said they saw that the people of the state could not accept the Congress-CPI(M) alliance, and many more are in touch with the BJP.
The CPI(M) is contesting the state elections in alliance with the Congress this time.
AdvertisementOther leaders who returned on Friday from New Delhi in a chartered flight are Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha, union minister Pratima Bhowmik, Deputy CM Jishnu Dev Varma, former Chief Minister and MP Biplab Kumar Deb, organisation secretary Phanindranath Sharma, and BJP Tripura election in charge Dr Mahesh Sharma.
In the 2018 Assembly elections, the BJP, with 43.59% of the vote, secured a majority of seats (36) and formed the government with Biplab Kumar Deb as Chief Minister. The former governing Left Front alliance, while receiving 44.35% of the vote, secured only 16 seats.
